Green Tea Compounds Boost Antioxidant Protection

Metabolic Syndrome is a condition Characterized by central obesity, hypertension, and adverse glucose and insulin metabolism; it is associated with increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Arpita Basu, from Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma, USA), and colleagues enrolled 35 obese men and women with Metabolic Syndrome in an eight-week long study that randomly assigned each subject to one of three groups: the first group drank 4 cups of green tea daily; the second group drank 4 cups of green tea and consumed green tea extract supplements daily; and the third group drank 4 cups of water a day (served as controls). At the conclusion of the study period, the team observed significant increases in both plasma antioxidant capacity, as well as glutathione levels, among the two groups that drank the green tea. The study authors submit that: “These results support the hypothesis that green tea may provide antioxidant protection in the metabolic syndrome.”