Green tea: fact or fiction.(treatment news)

Scientists have discovered that a substance in green tea prevents HIV from attaching to our immune system cells by getting there first. According to researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the University of Sheffield in the England, in a report that appears in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (1), a compound in green tea called catechin, (also known as epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG] or flavonoid) blocks the ability of HIV to enter and destroy the immune system.

The health effects of brewed green tea are attributed to numerous chemical substances that make up 30% of dried leaf extract. Of these, EGCG is the most active. Similar substances in other plants have been found to be less plentiful and have fewer medicinal properties. EGCG binds well to many molecules and affects a variety of enzyme. It is this specific aspect of green tea that researchers think is responsible for its many reported health benefits.

Animal studies have shown that drinking green tea is associated with a lower rate of cancer in humans. The major component of green tea, EGCG, is thought to be the most potent cancer-preventive component of the catechins. This protective effect of green tea has been evaluated in pancreatic, colon, rectal, skin, breast, prostate, liver, and lung cancel: Recently EGCG has emerged as a potential candidate in the fight against AIDS. Investigators have found that its antiviral effects can be targeted at HIV infection. However, this does not mean you should start drinking gallons of green tea every day. But, there is some encouraging news.

HIV infection results in damage to the immune system when the gpl20 glycoprotein (a protein that has sugar molecules attached to it) latches onto the T cell. Even though gpl20 ...