Tea Polyphenols Show Antiglycation Promise for Diabetics
Lee Swanson Research Update
Glycation is a reaction that takes place when simple sugar molecules become attached to proteins or lipid fats without the moderation of an enzyme. This results in the formation of rogue molecules known as advanced glycation end products that can produce health risks.
Polyphenols such as the catechin EGCG are understood to make up around 30% of the dry leaf weight for green tea; EGCG is thought to be one of the most beneficial catechins. Recent research on its benefits has looked at such diverse indications as arthritis, mental distress, oral health and weight loss.
A body of research has already investigated a possible link between green tea consumption and diabetes risk, and tea drinking may bring modest benefits for glucose homeostasis and help keep the cardiovascular system healthy.
For a new study in the journal Food Chemistry, researchers from Taiwan set out to determine the antioxidant and antiglycation effects of EGCG under high-glucose conditions.
To mimic the in vivo situation, the human plasma was preincubated with EGCG. The LDL was then isolated and its resistance to oxidation was challenged.
The researchers observed an effective increase in LDL resistance to oxidation; a dose-dependent inhibition of HG-mediated long-term glycation of LDL to oxidation was also observed in the LDL-bound EGCG.
"This study suggests that loading plasma with EGCG is an efficient way to increase the content of this phytochemical in LDL, which may imply favorable in vivo activity of EGCG in diabetes," the researchers wrote.
They observed a different mechanism at work from conventional biological activities shown by polyphenols. It seemed to possess a "rather specific and somewhat different degree of antiglycative action and lipoprotein-binding activity."
Food Chemistry 121(3):639-644, 2010
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August 2010