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Green Tea May Prevent Bladder Inflammation

May 22, 2007

Tea & Health • Green Tea May Prevent Bladder Inflammation • Lower Mortality Found Among Japanese Green Tea Drinkers • Researchers Tout Tea's Health Benefits • FDA Denies Health Claims For Green Tea • Tea May Help Your Heart • Tea May Combat Alzheimer's

Green tea could make your bladder gladder.

That’s the upshot of a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), which finds that herbal agents could be used to treat inflammatory bladder diseases.

Green tea, reported to have many health benefits, is rich in powerful antioxidants that make it a possible remedy for many medical conditions. It is comprised of catechins – plant metabolites that provide it with many anti-oxidative properties.

"We discovered that catechins found in green tea protected both normal and cancerous bladder cells from inflammation when we exposed the cells to hydrogen peroxide," said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

"Although further studies are needed, these results indicate herbal supplements from green tea could be a treatment option for various bladder conditions that are caused by injury or inflammation."

In the study, normal and cancerous bladder cells were exposed to two major catechin components of green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG), for 23 hours.

Both significantly protected cell lines from exposure to hydrogen peroxide, which damages or kills cells. The concentrations of EGCG and ECG used in the study were at levels that may be achieved through simple drinking.

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