Webs’ Random Ideas

Well… no it isn’t… to a degree, (See that’s how I pull em in, with a title that has a false claim ). Anyways I highly recommend reading the article and the links contained within the article. Very interesting stuff.

Here is one of the key items I picked up on, a spoiler if you will, from a link within the link I posted above:

Under cell culture conditions, one of the main green tea catechins (EGCG), is unstable and undergoes oxidative polymerization, generating hydrogen peroxide. As you can guess, bathing the cells of your body with hydrogen peroxide is, as we scientists say, bad. It’s reactive and bounces around the cell screwing up the structure of proteins and the cell membrane, among other things. Further tests showed that EGCG will destroy cancer cells but not if you add the anti-oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (This enzyme surely wears a cape). You can see from name that it goes around undoing all the mutations the oxidation created. So the anti-cancer ability likely comes from the pro-oxidant function but cause the anti-oxidant stopped the killing.

EGCG is not an antioxidant, it is a pro-oxidant and thus promotes mutation of cells, whether bad or good cells (think cancer cells or normal cells).

So what’s going on with the Rueters statement? If you look at the study ($ requrired), what they found was if they have a supplement of polyphenon E (containing 800 mg EGCG), the participants had increased production of an enzyme called GST that helps to detoxicify your liver and thus your body (that’s really broad and general, and I actually hate the word detoxicify but we’ll stick with it). The thing is, Why would your body ramp up production of detoxifying enzyme. Maybe because it’s under toxic attack? Why yes! Specifically, GSTs are induced by oxidative stress in the liver, which is exactly what we know EGCGs do. So the GST pool is higher because the stress is higher; when the stress goes down, the GST does too. So we really don’t know whether the GST reserve is any better or not. So does this sound like a good thing for your body to go through? No.

So GSTs are produced by the body when EGCGs come in. In response to the pro-oxidant reaction of EGCGs. In other words stop listening to Snapple™ commercials as they are apparently promoting bad science. And instead do a little research and find out what’s really going on. Also, shame on Reuters for not doing their homework before reporting.

Anyways, as with most health issues, moderation is key. No need to drink yourself silly on tea, at least not for antioxidant power. But maybe for caffeine power