New research in people with a range of heart disease risk factors shows that drinking green tea extract for four weeks can lower blood sugar levels and improve gut health by lowering inflammation and reducing "leaky gut." The research was recently published in "Recent Developments in Nutrition."
The researchers say this is the first study to assess whether the health risks associated with metabolic syndrome are reduced by the anti-inflammatory effects of green tea in the gut. Metabolic syndrome affects about one-third of Americans.
"There is a lot of evidence that high consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides, but no studies link green tea's gut benefits to these health benefits," said senior study author Richard Bruno, professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University. factors are linked.”.
The team conducted the clinical trial in 40 individuals as a follow-up to a 2019 study that showed that mice consuming green tea supplements had lower rates of obesity, lower health risks and improved gut health.
In the new study, green tea extract also lowered blood sugar, reduced gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people, an unexpected finding.
"This tells us that, within a month, we were able to lower blood sugar in both metabolic syndrome patients and healthy people, and that lowering blood sugar appears to be associated with a reduction in leaky gut and inflammation, regardless of health status," Bruno said.
People with metabolic syndrome have been diagnosed with at least three of five factors that increase their risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health problems - excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low HDL (good) cholesterol, fasting blood sugar and high levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood).
The tricky thing about these risk factors for metabolic syndrome, Bruno says, is that they're often only slightly altered, don't yet require drug management, but still pose a significant risk to health.
"Most doctors will initially recommend weight loss and exercise, but most people can't make lifestyle changes for a variety of reasons," Bruno said. "Our work aims to provide people with a new food-based tool to help them manage their metabolism. Syndromic risk or reversal of metabolic syndrome."
Forty participants, including 21 with metabolic syndrome and 19 healthy adults, consumed gummies containing green tea extract, which is rich in anti-inflammatory compounds called catechins, for 28 days. The daily dose is equivalent to five cups of green tea. In the randomized double-blind crossover trial, all participants took a placebo for 28 days, with one month stopping any supplements between treatments.
The researchers confirmed that during the placebo and green tea extract dessert study phases, the participants were advised to have a diet lower in polyphenols (antioxidants found naturally in fruits, vegetables, tea and spices), so any results could be attributable to on the influence of green tea itself.
The results showed that all participants had significantly lower fasting blood sugar levels after taking green tea extract compared to blood sugar levels after taking a placebo. The analysis found that all participants had reduced intestinal inflammation with green tea treatment and reduced pro-inflammatory proteins in their stool samples. The researchers also found that after drinking green tea, the participants' small intestine permeability decreased significantly.
Gut permeability, or leaky gut, allows gut bacteria and related toxic compounds to enter the bloodstream, stimulating low-grade chronic inflammation.
"We're not trying to cure metabolic syndrome with a one-month study," he said. "But based on what we know about the causal factors behind metabolic syndrome, green tea has the potential to play a part at the gut level to reduce the risk of developing or reversing metabolic syndrome."
Bruno's lab is completing further analyses of the study participants' gut microbiomes and levels of bacteria-related toxins in their blood.
Related paper information:https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzac068.010
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