By Stephen Daniells, 22-Feb-2010

The antioxidant compounds present in green tea and associated with a myriad of health benefits can penetrate the tissue of the eye and potentially protect against common eye diseases, says a new study.

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong report that catechins from tea could be detected in significant amounts in various eye structures. According to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the retina of rats absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin.

Furthermore, the potential beneficial effects of green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress were sustained for up to 20 hours.

Eyes on the market

A report from Frost & Sullivan last year stated that the global market for eye health ingredients was dominated by antioxidants, including lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and bilberry.

The demand for such products is increasing as consumers turn to nutrition to protect against blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

The global human nutrition market for lutein is predicted to reach $125m within three years, said F&S, with growth underpinned by rising demand for eye health supplements from the aging US population, increasing healthcare costs, more research efforts backing ingredient benefits, and improvements in technology for methods of ingredient extraction, said the report.

“Although many antioxidants have been studied in the eye, to the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to show distribution of individual catechins after ingestion of green tea extract and to evaluate their in vivo antioxidative effects in various parts of the mammalian eye,” wrote t he researchers behind the new study.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

Study details

Chi Pui Pang and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea and subsequently analysed the eye tissues. Catechins were indeed observed in the eye tissues, say the researchers.

“Many studies on the antioxidative effect of green tea focused on EGCG,” report the researchers. “However, in this study, we found its tissue level was not high. Gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and epicatechin, on the other hand, substained high levels in many compartments.

“Although these compounds have a reducing power similar to or lower than that of EGCG, use of a mixture, such as green tea extract, was better than use of a single catechin because of lower cost and synergic effects on antioxidation and bioavailability,” they added.

“Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” concluded the researchers.

The green tea extracts, Sunphenon DCF-1, were donated by Taiyo Kagaku Co. Ltd.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Volume 58, Issue 3, Pages 1523–1534, doi: 10.1021/jf9032602
“Green Tea Catechins and Their Oxidative Protection in the Rat Eye”
Authors: K.O. Chu, K.P. Chan, C.C. Wang, C.Y. Chu, W.Y. Li, K.W. Choy, M.S. Rogers, C.P. Pang

Article from www.acupuncture.com

By Sophia Tang

Are you really healthy? What are the health indexes in Chinese medicine system?

Chinese medicine sees our body as a reflection of this universe and sees the material world as consisting of the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In the human body, each organ is attributed to one of these five elements. Each of the five elements has a supporting and controlling relationship with each other. Chinese medicine also treats the human body as a network system. This network system is constructed of 12 major meridians or channels that connect directly to 365 major acupuncture points. Everything in our body is connected with those meridian channels including the organs such as liver, heart, spleen, lung, kidney, gall bladder, intestines, etc. Different types of energy such as Qi, blood, essence (Jing), and body fluids flow through our meridian channels and nourish the whole body system including all our organs. If the flowing of each meridian channel is vibrated at its optimal frequency without any disturbance and blockage, every organ has a harmonious supporting and controlling relationship with each other, and there is no deficient or excess energy within our body, we should be healthy.

Because Chinese medicine physiology is based on a type of theory that is totally different from Western medicine, it stands to reason that the health indexes based on Chinese medicine are also completely difference from Western medicine.

I will give you an example. If a person is always feeling chilled along with cold hands and feet, the diagnosis from Chinese medicine would likely be Heart Yang deficiency. The Heart has the fire attribute in the five elements system. It is like the sunshine that warms our body. Yang energy represents functional energy. Without enough functional Yang energy, the heart cannot carry its normal function to pump out blood with enough pressure, speed, and temperature. The result of this is poor circulation in our body. The body extremities will be cold because the heart is lacking of functional energy and it cannot do its job. Thus, it is easier for the body to accumulate garbage and become susceptible to tumor growths for people with this type of physical constitution.

If this same person goes to a Western doctor due to chronic fatigue syndrome and frequent urination, but gets “normal” lab test numbers and examination from the doctor, the doctor would tell that person that his/her physical health is fine. However, if this person sees an authentic Chinese medicine physician, he/she would definitely know what is going on with this person’s health and can even foresee what physical conditions may manifest in the future. The healer will then tune up this person with acupuncture, herbal medicine, or some other healing modality. This will prevent these physical symptoms from manifesting into a serious disease.

There are examinations used by Chinese medical healers to check if a person is healthy. These examinations include visual inspection of the tongue, eyes, and other parts of the body; smelling, questioning, and pulse taking. Traditional Chinese medicine healers do not rely on a disease name and laboratory tests to tell you if you are healthy or not. If you would like to know if you are healthy or not, below are health indexes Chinese medical healers use to gauge health. If you meet these criteria without any uncomfortable symptoms in your body, then you are physically healthy from the view of the Chinese medicine system. If not, you should see a traditional Chinese medicine healer to get an examination and to tune up your body, so your body will be back to the balance and meet these criteria of these health indexes according to Chinese medicine physiology.

Health indexes in Traditional Classical Chinese medicine system:

1. Normal appetite. Food tastes good. You get normal hungry feelings. Do not overeat.
2. Have a bowel movement everyday at the same time.
3. Urinate 5-7 times during a day, 0-1 time during the night without pain or difficulty.
4. Have no problem falling asleep and can sleep throughout the night.
5. Do not have any abnormal sweat or abnormal thirst during the day or night.
6. Wake up with penile erection with the male and with sensitive breast nipple with the female.
7. Pain free.
8. Have warm hands and feet and cool face.
9. Have the energy level you desire.
10. Woman has 28 days of menstrual cycle without uncomfortable feeling and cramping.

Let me give you some examples about why meeting those criteria are important for your health.

Example 1:
A person who is always feeling hungry and craving food. This is an indication that there is too much heat in the digestion system, so the digestion system is working too fast. This heat will impact nearby organs such as pancreas. Once the pancreas is not functioning normally, it is possible that diabetes may manifest in the future.

Example 2:
A person always wakes up during 1-3 o’clock in the morning. There is indication here that there is an imbalance in the Liver channel. This imbalance could be something excessive growing in the liver or an energy deficiency or a blockage in the Liver channel. If you tell a Western doctor that you are waking up during this time, he/she may not be able to tell you that there is anything wrong, especially if the examination and the lab tests are fine. If this kind of symptom lasts for over two years, you may be surprised to find that those same lab tests may now tell you that something is wrong with the liver, which could be something like growing tumors. If you saw a well-trained Traditional Chinese medicine healer when this symptom began, he/she would definitely know what the diagnosis is. He/she will then tune up the body to get it back into balance so that imbalance will not manifest into a serious health issue in the future.

All questions asked from a Traditional Chinese medicine healer are the starting point for doing a good diagnosis. All symptoms showing in your body are signs to tell the healer what is going on with your body. So be sure to tell your Chinese medicine physician all symptoms you are having no matter how strange it might sound.

Wise people know the prevention is the best medicine for their over all health. The Traditional Classical Chinese medicine system is the most complete medical system since the ancient times. It is the only system that also includes prevention as part of overall treatment.

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