Green and Black Tea Studies
By Kathleen Doheny HealthScoutNews Reporter MONDAY, April 21 (HealthScoutNews) -- Drinking tea may help "prime" your immune system and enable you to fight off bacterial infections better, a new study suggests.
The research, appearing in the April 21-25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , adds to the growing list of health benefits researchers have attributed to tea. Previous research has found that the drink can help ward off heart disease and cancer, probably due to its abundance of antioxidants.
The infection-fighting ability of tea, however, is attributed to a substance found in some tea, called L-theanine, which is broken down into a group of chemicals called alkylamine antigens. Antigens are substances that produce antibodies to fight infections.
The new research studied the effects of these antigens on gamma-delta T cells, one of the immune system's infection fighters.
The study was small, cautions the lead author, Dr. Jack Bukowski, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff rheumatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. And while his team proved that tea drinkers, compared to coffee drinkers, had more ability to produce disease-fighting chemicals, the researchers did not track whether the tea drinkers actually experienced fewer infections.
Even so, Bukowski says, "there's no downside to drinking tea. I heartily recommend drinking tea.
" His team first did work in the laboratory, exposing some cultured human gamma-delta T cells to an alkylamine antigen but not exposing others. Then they exposed the cells to bacteria, simulating an infection. The cells exposed to the antigen produced much interferon, an infection-fighter, in the first 24 hours, Bukowski says, while those not exposed did not produce it.
"The gamma delta T cells were responsible," he says. The study also proved that these cells have a memory, he says, and are able to recognize bacteria the next time and fight them.
Next, Bukowski and his team asked 11 subjects to drink five to six cups of black tea every day, and another 10 people to drink the same quantity of instant coffee. The subjects did this for either two or four weeks.
Then, two weeks into the study, the researchers tested the blood of coffee and tea drinkers by exposing it to bacteria in the lab andcomparing samples taken before the study to those taken two weeks later. "We found they [tea drinkers] made five times more interferon after they started drinking tea compared to before drinking tea," Bukowski says. The coffee drinkers showed no enhanced production ofinterferon. Not all teas contain L-theanine, Bukowski cautions. Green, black, oolong, or pekoe teas do, he says. Coffee drinkers might consider cutting down on coffee, he says, and adding tea -- hot or iced -- to their daily intake of beverage.
If the research bears out, tea drinking may prove to offer protection from skin infections caused by bacteria, bacterial pneumonias, and food poisoning, among other ailments, Bukowski says. Another expert who has researched tea and its antioxidant benefits says the study results make sense. "These compounds may prime our immune cells so that when they see [bacteria] they are better able to respond," says Jeffrey B. Blumberg. He is a professor and chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston. "I'm really impressed," Blumberg says of the study's findings. "The responses [in the tea drinkers] were very marked." Blumberg notes, however, that the study was a pilot study, with details such as age of the subjects not available, and that more research is needed. Still, he adds, "It's a fascinating study."
Besides being present in tea, the alkylamine antigens are found in lower concentrations in apples and mushrooms as well as red and white wine, Bukowski says.
For more information on tea, visit the Tea Association of the United States of America .
For details on how the immune system works, check with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
SOURCES: Jack F. Bukowski, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, staff rheumatologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and chief, Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Boston; April 21-25, 2003 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Copyright © 2003 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Personal Testimonials
No Treatments Needed in Over 1.5 Years: (Letter to my hematologist) I have been drinking Green Tea and taking concentrated Green Tea tablets for about 1.5 years now, and seem to be more symptom free than others with PV without taking any medication and having virtually no phlebotomies. Pretty cool, but why is this? From the beginning I thought that the Green Tea's ability to boost the body's interferon levels was acting in the same way that the artificially produced medication Interferon-Alpha does. So, for quite awhile I have been happily doing the Green Tea thing without thinking too much about it. If it's not broken leave it alone, right. But recently when my blood levels dropped even further (HCT 35 and HGB 11.5) I had you check my iron/ferritin levels. They had dropped to 6, with the normal being 22-322. Theoretically, the long term goal of phlebotomies is to deplete the body of iron until the ferritin level comes down to 20, then build it back up to a maintenance level of 50. You had the lab do a stool test to see if maybe I was bleeding internally, as I had been taking a blood thinner. To our surprise the test came up negative. Now that I have been off the blood thinner for over 2 months we figured that if there was some other internal bleeding that that would have stopped and my blood levels would come up. They are still low. "Hmmm?" By the way, my platelets are in the high 600's to 700's. So I have been doing some research and have found several articles that say that Green Tea suppresses iron absorption. If that is the case, wouldn't that be a wonderful way to treat PV? No more chemicals, no more needles? Below is one of the articles I found. It's pretty technical, but essentially I think it says that researchers did a test that shows that Green Tea does in fact suppress iron absorption. Is that correct?
Research Department of Human Nutrition, LMC Centre for Advanced Food Studies, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark. s.samman@biochem.usyd.edu.au BACKGROUND: Phenolic compounds act as food antioxidants. One of the postulated mechanisms of action is chelation of prooxidant metals, such as iron. Although the antioxidative effect is desirable, this mechanism may impair the utilization of dietary iron. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the effect of phenolic-rich extracts obtained from green tea or rosemary on nonheme-iron absorption. DESIGN: Young women aged 19-39 y consumed test meals on 4 separate occasions. The meals were identical except for the absence (meal A) or presence (meal B) of a phenolic-rich extract from green tea (study 1; n = 10) or rosemary (study 2; n = 14). The extracts (0.1 mmol) were added to the meat component of the test meals. The meals were extrinsically labeled with either 55Fe or 59Fe and were consumed on 4 consecutive days in the order ABBA or BAAB. Iron absorption was determined by measuring whole-body retention of 59Fe and the ratio of 55Fe to 59Fe activity in blood samples. RESULTS: The presence of the phenolic-rich extracts resulted in decreased nonheme-iron absorption. Mean (+/-SD) iron absorption decreased from 12.1 +/- 4.5% to 8.9 +/- 5.2% (P < 0.01) in the presence of green tea extract and from 7.5 +/- 4.0% to 6.4 +/- 4.7% (P < 0.05) in the presence of rosemary extract. CONCLUSION: Phenolic-rich extracts used as antioxidants in foods reduce the utilization of dietary iron.
Since my last ferritin test was even lower than before I have started taking 1-2 300mg Iron Protein Succinylate tablets each day. This is the equivalent of 15mg elemental iron. The capsules also include small amounts of magnesium stearate. Also eating more iron rich foods, and have stopped taking the Green Tea capsules. Dan Navarro Sat Oct 15, 2005 (Updated Jan 6, 2006)
Green Tea and Itching: All is well in the Midwest, despite the winter progressing (URGGG!!!). I'm sure glad to see all is well with you too. My #'s are not extremely high compared to others. I've been basically "self treating" since day of diagnoses. My #'s do fluctuate, and as we all know, that's to be expected, but I haven't felt the real need for phlebs or other medicinal treatment. I've been eating right, plenty of exercise, TONS of water, as well as the green tea regiment & baby aspirin and with all my efforts I've been OK. The only real problems I have, as other's I'm hearing, is the annoying itching, occasional red faced (but I'm part American Indian anyway so I blame that....lol) and of course the fatigue (which I refuse to blame on my age). I was told the phlebs might help with all that, but I also don't want it to become routine once I start. I kinda think of it as "if it ain't broke...don't fix it." I've relayed this same thinking to my DR. and he just smiles at me and thinks if I can handle it and the # aren't dangerously high or the cells become "diseased" then it works for him as well. Before anyone tries to scold or lecture me, this is MY plan and MY plan only!!! It works for me and keeps me with a peace of mind as long as what I do is being monitored. Thanks for the email Tony and I always enjoy (with a chuckle) your notes. I wish the BEST of health and happiness to ALL in 2005. HAPPY HOLIDAY'S!!! Joy (Chicago) Dec 2004
Exactly what I experience too with my itching. My Dr. had told me basically
the same thing. The over production of blood was looking for an "outlet"
The cold water works momentarily, like anything else I've tried. Since recently
starting the green tea regiment (6 months now), I haven't had nearly the "episodes"
i use to....call it a fluke??????? good luck and keep us informed on your
progress I hope you ALL are doing well these days. take care.
Joy (Chicago) Sun Apr 3, 2005
Low Iron Diet & Off HU Now and No
Phlebotomies: Hi Dan I had taken
HU for 6 years, until 2 years ago, I stopped it, since that time I did not had
any Phlebotomies, I used to drink green tea before I had P.V a long time ago,
but I am trying my best to controll my diet with avoiding any red meat, any
food has high FE, that is why my HGB is only 13.5, for the Selenium you can
check this web site http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp
From: Ala Eddin Abu Hilal Date: Mon Mar 28, 2005
Lower Hematocrit & Cutting Back on Hdrea
Hi all It's over 5 years since I was diagnosed with PV…from the beginning I've
been on Hydrea, started at 500 mg per day rising to 2 x 500 mg about three
years later. I was initially getting bled every three weeks, then once a month,
then less frequently since my Hematocrit became stable in the low 40s. I've
been suing green tea seriously for over three years. I buy it in bulk packs at
the organic shop and brew a coffee measure in NOT boiling water and drink it in
a tall glass through the night. I figure better absorption on an empty
stomach..if there's any left in the morning I drink it will my morning vitamins
and pills. Well, about six months ago I was seeing my platelets were stable, no
bleedings for at least 8 months.. not great, but stable at 600-700, so I
decided to drop the Hydrea dose down to one 500 mg a day…blood tests results
showed the platelets stayed stable. The haematologist was aghast that I'd done
it, but couldn't disagree with the results. Now I feel I want to cut it again,
but since the caps are 500 mg, I'm going to empty them half out to try 250 mg
per day with the hope of getting off the dreadful poison as soon as possible.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Is this remission? How much do
I owe to the green tea? My ferritin levels have been in the lower end of normal
for a number of years...but I'll keep a close watch on them as I try to wean
myself off hydroxyurea.
Regards Ron Resnick Nelson New Zealand August 9, 2006
Fewer Phlebotomies: It seems to be
working!! I up'd the dose on the tablets like you suggested and no phlebotomy
since Sept!!! My crit in Oct. was 39, the lowest in years! I just had it tested
two weeks ago and only at 41 (they do phlebotomies at 42 on me), so I don't
have to go back for another 3 weeks! YEAH! I will keep on truckin' with the
tablets!! (Just as long as I don't have to drink the stuff! LOL!) I've been
sicker than a dog last few weeks though with bad headaches, fuzzy vision so it
may have gotten to 42, face starting to get a little red, but never gone that
long between phlebotomies!!! Jan 9, 2005
Well my crit finally jumped up to 45! It's been stuck at 41 since I started
slamming the green tea tabs for 4 months! But I think that 4 months without a
phlebotomy is AWESOME! I just found some Jasmine Blossom green tea that is
Fabulous!!
From: Tracy "yekcoh1267" Date: Fri Mar 25, 2005
Fewer Phlebotomies: I was diagnosed last February at 49 years old. I had to go to the emergency room because I passed out while teaching a class (teacher) and thought I suffered a stroke. After a lot of blood work and an emergency referral to a hematologist, it was discovered that my hematocrit was pretty high; 63. A bone marrow biospy confirmed PV. Since that time I have undergone the basic treatment of phlebotomies every 3-4 weeks to get my blood work back to normal. I started the green tea thing several months back and it seems that it may work because I have now been able to space out the phlebotomies to every few months. I really have little experience here compared to some of the "old timers" but what I can tell you is that since my hematocrit has returned to "normal" I do everything I used to do. I play racquetball at least 3 times a week competitively (leagues) and I golf every chance I get. Casey Dogg Date: Thu Dec 2, 2004
Fewer Phlebotomies: I take green tea. I drink it everyday and have not have to give blood in about a year. Glenn glenmar11@... Date: Jan 3, 2006 PV Support Group
Fewer Phlebotomies: My levels are
around the same range as yours (except for the WBC, mine is not so high) and my
BMB came back clean too. My dr. swears up and down that I have pv because I
display most of the symptoms and have slightly elevated levels. My JAK2 came
back negative as well. My RCM came back slightly elevated for possible pv but
nothing conclusive. My dr. wants me to go for a second opinion before labeling
it. I also have high iron and am taking the green tea concentrated capsules
630mg twice a day. It has kept my iron low so far that I haven't had to have a
phlebotomy since December. He said that I seem to function better when kept
anemic and it keeps the migraines away too. Hershey now makes Dark Chocolate
Hershey kisses. I eat 6 of them a day, not sure if they are helping any...but
it is cheaper than buying bars of chocolate and I can keep the consumption in
check so that I don't overeat and gain weight. Green tea and chocolate....my
kind of tea party! Take Care, Erica "Erica Crisher"
Lowered Platelets: By the way I
started drinking 3 cups green tea per day and gave up the coffee. my platelets
were over 1 million 3 weeks ago and now down to 900. thanks for sharing your
knowledge about green tea. I really think it's helping me , Joanne
oven3broke"
Fewer Phlebotomies: It does me the
same way. It takes about 2 to 3 days to get over the phlems. I think it is
different for everyone. I haven't had to give any blood in a year because of
the green tea that I drink. My father had a brain tumor removed the 3rd of Jan.
so my stress has been great. I think I will have to give my next Dr. visit. but
the tea has worked for me up until now. Glenn Rodney Hentz
NO Fewer Phlebotomies: Hi, done
the green tea bit doesnt work for me Im now blood letting 1 time permonth
hemoglobin is 157 on average each time. wish there was something else I can
take. Brian Wise
Green Tea Working Fine for Me: Hi
all, I just started joining this group last 2 months and I enjoy the sharing
of knowledge. I was able to read this email from "Dan - The Green Tea
Guy" and I do believe him. I have my Polycythemia for about 8 years now
and I'm taking "Hydro" and I'm having problem taking hydro since
it makes me awake for 5 years and my doctor substitute "Aspirin"
with is working fine for me.
Since I'm working in IT - Information Technology, I'm often take too much
coffee and for the past 1 1/2 years substitute it with Grean Tea which I observe
normalized all my blood status for 1 1/2 years. Not so sure why it is working
for my blood and I'm happy to hear that someone has the same story. I'm drinking
"Lipton - Green Tea" 2 to 3 times a day. No "Hydro" and
"Blood" letting for 1 1/2 years. "Just want to share my experience"
Regards to all, Bong Guinto Manila, Philippines Mar 30, 2007
Green Tea works for me too, last phlebotomy was Oct. 22, 2007. 2 16oz. cups a day, instead of coffee.........also I get the naturally decaffeinated Good luck to all.
Rm RMTinRoof@aol.com March 31, 2007
I stopped drinking coffee, and now drink green tea instead.
I drink 2 16oz. cups a day, leaving the tea bags in the cup for full effect.
I eat dark chocolate 60% cacao with it. ONE phleb. since Oct. 06.
I do the Neti-pot twice a day for headaches.
rm PV 06
81 aspirin
green tea
dark chocolate
RMTinRoof@aol.com June 23, 2007
Green tea works well for me too, I had my first phlebotomy
last month. My hematocrit was 45.4. It reaches that level now about every 3 to
4 months. This is new since the last time it was above that was when I had my
last mini stroke and I finally got the doctor to listen to me and I got a
definite diagnosis after 2 years of testing. I have also begun to go thru the
steps to stop smoking since I know that it plays a big part in my blood doing
what it does. I have been smoking now for over 30 years and this is not an
overnight thing, but I'm using patches, and my husband is doing this with me as
he too is a smoker and we are helping each other get thru it. We can't do it
cold turkey...tried that already....didn'
Janice RMTinRoof@aol.
Hi
all, I have my Polycythemia for 12 years now and previously taking my hydro
and replace it with "Green tea" as it works for me. My problem after stop
using my hydro for 2 years is that my spleen is getting bigger and I would
like to ask if someone from you is taking a medicine to reduce your spleen.
Thank you and I'll appreciate your inputs. Regards, Bong Guinto deguinto@yahoo.com
May 22, 2007