Green Tea Extract Increases Antioxidant Levels Better than Brewed Green Tea or Black Tea without the Caffeine

Green and Black Tea Polyphenols have been extensively studied as cancer chemopreventive agents. Many experiments support their strong antioxidant activity.

This study was performed to see if Green Tea Extract was absorbed as well as brewed Green or Black Tea, so that a powerful but caffeine free product, with a known amount of polyphenolic antioxidants could be used in human cancer research instead of brewed tea. 30 healthy people were randomly assigned to 3 different sequences of brewed Green Tea, brewed Black Tea, or a Green Tea-Caffeine Free Extract. They were given this in one serving and their antioxidant levels were checked 8 hours later. The researchers waited one week and each person took a different Tea, and a week later they consumed the third tea. All teas were equal in the content of key antioxidants. The antioxidants were best absorbed from the Green Tea Extract supplement and this led to a significant increase in blood levels of antioxidants vs. the brewed Black or Green Tea.

The research shows that the Green Tea Extract retains the beneficial effects of brewed Green Tea, and may be used in future cancer prevention research to provide a large dose of polyphenols but without the side effects of caffeine associated with both brewed Black and Green Teas. The Study is published in the December 2004 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Vitamin C Supplementation Decreases the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, and the Incidence of Stroke and Heart Attack

Epidemiological studies suggest that a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. But researchers do not know if this is due to antioxidant factors or some other factors. This study was undertaken to assess the benefit of antioxidant vitamins and the possible protection from coronary heart disease.

Researchers performed a cohort study pooling the research from 9 different prospective studies. A cohort study is when a well-defined group of people who have had a common experience or exposure, are then followed up to check for the development of diseases or events (such as a heart attack).

293,172 people were monitored for their intake of vitamin E, Carotenoids, and Vitamin C and were followed for 10 years. Both Vitamin E and Carotenoids mildly reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, but those taking a higher dosage of vitamin C supplementation had a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and those who took a vitamin C supplement greater than 700mg a day had a 25% drop in the risk of developing major coronary heart disease events such as a stroke or heart attack.

The study is published in the December 2004 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research institutions where these nine studies took place is very relevant showing the accuracy of the protective role of vitamin C supplementation, and the safety and mild protective ability of both Vitamin E, and Carotenoids.

Here is the list of participating institutions:

• National Public Health Institute, Helsinki
• Department of Biostatistics, Nutrition, and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
• The Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention
• The Charming laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
• The Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
• The Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
• The Department of Medical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute
• The Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School
• The Center for Health research, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
• The Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Henry Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute, Tel Aviv University
• Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, Sweden
• Research Unit for Dietary Studies, at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen
• Research Center for Prevention and Health, Glostrup, Denmark
• The Glostrup University Hospital
• The Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Aged Garlic May Protect from Heart Attack and Stroke

Individuals with heart disease may lower their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by taking an aged garlic extract according to this preliminary study. Aging garlic allows the sulfur containing smelly substances to be converted to scores of non-odorous health-promoting substances. Studies have shown that aged garlic extract effectively lowers cholesterol and reduces other cardiovascular risk factors.

In this new study 19 older adults diagnosed with heart disease, or at high risk of heart disease were randomly assigned to receive aged garlic extract or placebo for one year, in addition all 19 received statin and aspirin therapy. In those on placebo, plaque deposits in the arteries increased by 22%, and those on aged garlic only had a 7.5% increase. The aged garlic reduced the progression of atherosclerosis by 66% after one year of treatment. The Aged Garlic supplement significantly enhanced the effectiveness of statin drug therapy. The study is published in the current issue of the journal Preventive Medicine.