Two new scientific studies on the effects of green tea on health add important properties to those already known. In fact, scientists have demonstrated the ability of green tea to protect the liver from the damage of plastic phthalates and the health of the oral cavity by counteracting the formation of cavities. But let’s look into this research further.
Green tea protects the liverPrevious studies have shown that green tea protects the liver from heavy metal damage. Today’s study adds an important piece to the properties of green tea, as it has emerged that green tea also protects the liver from the harmful effects of phthalates. DEHP is a phthalate widely used for its ability to make plastic more flexible and durable.
DEHP is found in children’s toys, food packaging, cosmetics, and medical devices and can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Suffice it to say that, based on research from a few years ago, DEHP was found in all the analyzed samples taken from human beings. DEHP, therefore, is present almost everywhere and we easily come into contact with it. The body, fortunately, is equipped with detoxification mechanisms and DEHP can be eliminated within 24 hours. However, this phthalate, when exposure levels are high and prolonged over a long period of time, can cause damage, especially to the liver.
DEHP can induce, in the long term, fatty liver but also fibrosis. Well, research published a few days ago in the World Journal of Gastroenterology by a Chinese team and carried out in the laboratory on a population of mice (Shi et al, World J Gastroenterol, Sep 2023), clearly showed the hepatoprotective action of tea green in case of exposure to phthalates such as DEHP. These properties are attributable to green tea polyphenols which alleviate liver dysfunction, fatty liver, and liver fibrosis, all conditions induced by DEHP, and improve the functionality of liver microstructures, such as mitochondria and bile capillaries.
Green tea fights cavitiesThe second study delves into the ability of green tea to protect teeth from cavities. The research was published in the journal Caries Research by a Japanese team (Han et al, Caries Res, Sep 2023). The study is based on the results of previous research according to which, indeed, those who have the habit of drinking unsweetened green tea also have a lower chance of developing tooth decay. Not just infusions to drink, green tea-based rinses are also helpful.
In fact, rinsing three times a day for a week with an infusion, prepared with 1.6 grams of dried green tea leaves left to infuse for ten minutes in 40 ml of distilled water and filtered, made it possible to reduce the presence of the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutants significantly. But what are these properties due to? Until now the studies had not reached an agreement.
Now, however, thanks to studies conducted in the laboratory on cultures of bacteria placed in contact with green tea extracts and computer simulations, it has been possible to observe that green tea combats cavities both thanks to its fluoride content and its polyphenols. In particular, green tea polyphenols, especially epigallocatechin gallate, reduce the growth of cariogenic bacteria and the production of acids induced by glucose.
Acids erode tooth enamel, causing cavities to form.ConclusionsGreen tea, thanks to its content in catechins, such as epigallocatechin gallate, is antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory, has anti-aging and neuroprotective properties, and combats overweight, cellular degeneration, and cardiovascular diseases. And from today we know that green tea protects the liver, both from the damage of heavy metals and the phthalates contained in plastic, and the oral cavity, keeping cavities at bay.