Important mechanism discovered; additional way that EGCG from Green Tea protects us from developing diabetes and obesity

Adiponectin is a good hormone released from fat cells. Unfortunately the more obese you are the less Adiponectin you release. Adiponectin helps regulate blood sugar, improves insulin sensitivity, and helps prevent the development of obesity, fatty infiltration of the liver caused by a high fat diet, high blood levels of triglycerides, hardening of the arteries, and diabetes.

Studies are already showing that EGCG, Green Teas most important antioxidant, enhances the level of Adiponectin in various studies of insulin resistance and obesity. In this study Japanese scientists from the Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan, and is published in the August 2007 issue of the journal Biosciences, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.

EGCG from Green Tea helps protect the liver from a high fat diet

When rats were fed a high fat diet for 6 weeks it caused fat to accumulate in their liver leading to fatty degeneration of the organ compared to the rats maintained on a normal rat diet. Swelling of the liver with inflammation, and death of liver cells were all increased significantly due to the high fat diet. However, in the third group, rats fed a high fat diet and also supplemented with EGCG, Green Teas most powerful polyphenol, the level of fatty infiltration into the liver was decreased significantly and so was liver inflammation. When comparing the rats on the high fat diets, those supplemented with EGCG had lower levels of liver enzymes (these enzymes are increased in blood tests indicating liver damage). The also had lower levels of triglycerides (dangerous blood fats), insulin, and blood sugar. The level of free radical damaging substances was significantly reduced and protective Glutathione was significantly higher with the use of EGCG. The study was performed at the School of Medicine, Firat University in Turkey and is published in the August, 2007 issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, online ahead of print.