So, I`ve been doing a lot of research lately on antioxidants, trying to find the best health promoting, life extending and disease/cancer preventing substance there is out there. I have a background in molecular biology, and anti aging is sort of my main interest. Anyway, having tried a lot of different supplements over the years, I must say that most of them have been a disappointment. I try to get most of my nutrients from actual food these days, as well as sunlight. This implies a nutrient dense Paleo diet for the most part. I also see good health more and more as a consequence of avoiding what is detrimental, rather than always adding something. (Magic pill) But at the same time I realize that even if you have the "perfect" diet there will still be a basal rate of ageing. To get further from this point things like telomerase inducers and gene therapy is needed. But in the mean time antioxidants can help a lot.
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Green tea. Pleasant medicine.
I was really into astaxanthin for a long time, and probably read half the studies on pubmed on it. A lot of indication it does wonders in vitro and in mice models etc. But like many other supplements I`ve used, when you actually try them in real life it`s hard to notice any effect. Of course you could argue that only long term use will yield results. (Like in decades.) But I also, even though I always do my homework thoroughly, like to actually notice a positive difference in whatever biomarker you`re monitoring. Of the things I`ve tried over the years I must say that for now, only organic green tea, high quality Antarctic krill oil, (contains astaxanthin that protects lipids from oxidation, unlike cod liver oil) and pastured desiccated beef liver/organs have stuck with me.
So why is green tea the best antioxidant currently available? It`s basically the combination of tons of studies proving it`s effectiveness, coupled with no known side effects. (More on that later.)
Green tea and Cancer
Cancer is caused by mutations, and what causes mutations is oxidative damage from many different sources. Poor diet, smoking, alcohol, radiation etc. Also short telomeres as a consequence of cell division gives rise to mutations. So anything you can do to avoid mutations is a good thing. The main antioxidant in tea, and particularly green tea is Epigallocatechin gallate. (EGCG) EGCG turns out to be a very efficient molecule when it comes to neutralizing free radicals, both on it`s own, and by stimulating the cells own antioxidant functions (enzymes etc.) I always try to find meta-data (analysis of all studies done on a certain topic) when it`s available, since it`s sort of the gold standard in science. Here`s just a couple of many done on green tea and cancer;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28095030
"The summary relative risk for the highest consumption (≥5 cups/day) of green tea on liver cancer incidence compared with nondrinkers was 0.62"
In other words, drinking 5 cups or more of green tea a day reduced the risk of liver cancer with a very substantial 38 percent.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380255/
This meta-analysis looked at prostate cancer (PC) which is particularly interesting, both since it`s the second most common diagnosed cancer over all, and also because there might be a connection between caffeine/coffee and PC. Green tea of course contains caffeine, but in small amounts compared to coffee. Anyway the study indicated a linear and inverse relationship between cups of green tea a day and risk of PC. "
"Our dose–response meta-analysis further demonstrated that higher green tea consumption was linearly associated with a reduced risk of PCa with more than 7 cups/day. In addition, green tea catechins were effective for preventing PCa with an RR of 0.38"
Green tea and Cardiovascular disease
There`s so much data here that I`ll just make some quick references to the most profound studies and meta-data again.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-hea...sease-risk
-A study of 40,530 Japanese adults found that participants who drank more than five cups of green tea a day had a 26% lower risk of death from heart attack or stroke and a 16% lower risk of death from all causes than people who drank less than one cup of green tea a day.
-Last year, a meta-analysis of observational studies—13 conducted in green tea drinkers and five in black tea drinkers—found that people who drank the most green tea had a 28% lower risk of coronary artery disease than those who drank the least green tea. Black tea had no effect on heart risk.
-Another 2011 meta-analysis of 14 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials found that green tea significantly lowered LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Many of the studies had been conducted with capsules containing catechins, the active polyphenols in green tea, rather than with the beverage itself.
(This summary also mentions dose and potential side effects, but I`ll deal with that at the end. Including why you should avoid tea pills)
Green tea and longevity
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3830687/
"Further analysis showed that compared to consistently infrequent tea drinkers, subjects who reported frequent tea drinking at both age 60 and at baseline (80 and above) survey had a 10% reduction in mortality"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22243697
32 606 individuals (men) aged 65 and above.
"Hazard regressions showed that men who drink tea almost every day have a 10-20 % lower risk of death compared to their counterparts who seldom drink tea, after adjusting for numerous confounders"
Although the type of tea is not specified here, the Chinese tend to drink a lot of green tea, as well as white tea and Oolong etc. that all have high levels of EGCG.
Dose and Toxicity
There has never been a reported case of clinical toxicity with a green tea beverage. And clinical studies with healthy individuals indicate that a dose of 800mg in the form of green tea extract was well tolerated by healthy subject. There has been a few individual cases however of mostly women with severe liver toxicity from diet pills containing green tea extract in the dose range of 700-1600mg approximately. But I suspect there might be other things at play here like dehydration and alcoholism etc. The take home point however is that if you consume the EGCG in tea form rather than a pill you will basically eliminate any risk of overloading your liver, since the liquid that goes with tea means the water soluble molecules in question can be handled without any issues. The only exception would be if you have severe liver problems, and/or struggle with alcoholism. It`s difficult to calculate the amount of EGCG in a cup of tea since it varies depending on the type of tea, amount used, brewing time etc. But a fair estimate would be something like 50-80mg from one cup of Sencha loose leaf tea. Maybe a little less from a tea bag of the same tea type. So if you stay within the 3-7 cups a day range there is no risk of any liver issues at all. It`s also worth mentioning that very high doses of any antioxidant is associated with a pro-oxidative effect on cells.
The best tea and Bioavailability
![[Image: attachment.jpg38928]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg38928)
You want a tea that is high in EGCG, low in caffeine (I see no health benefit of caffeine, only downsides) and that is relatively inexpensive. I`m sure there are many options here, but organic Sencha tea seems like a good choice. It`s very high in antioxidants and relatively low in caffeine. Organic really matters when it comes to tea since tea leaves absorb more chemicals than say a sleek tomato or apple. (Plus it`s steeped in water.) Loose leaf will have more EGCG than tea bags, but it`s not really about `more is better` as I talked about above, so organic tea bags would be fine as well.
Despite all the positive effects described here, green tea catechins actually have very poor bioavailability. There is a way of greatly enhancing it`s effectiveness however. If you consume the green tea in conjunction with omega-3 long chain fatty acids the cells ability to utilize the EGCG will be greatly increased.
https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/s...031610.htm
"Researchers from the University of South Florida divided Alzheimer’s disease‑model mice into five feeding groups. During a period of 6 months, each group was fed one of five diets: fish oil only; high‑dose EGCG; low‑dose EGCG; low‑dose EGCG and fish oil; or a regular diet (control). The researchers observed that low‑dose EGCG alone did not reduce the Alzheimer’s disease-related chemical processes in the brain. However, the mice fed the combination of fish oil and EGCG had a significant reduction in amyloid deposits that have been linked with Alzheimer’s disease."
So if you also supplement with krill oil, which I much prefer to other types of fish oil, it will be much more effective. (You don`t have to take the krill oil at the same time as you drink the tea.)
In conclusion
-Consistently drinking green tea in the dose range of 3-4 and up to 7 cups a day as a part of your daily routine seems to be one the best and simplest things you can do to extend life and reduce your risk of pretty much all disease, including cancer, diabetes 2, cardiovascular disease, neuro-degenerative diseases etc.
-A tea low in caffeine and high in EGCG is the best choice. (Sencha is a safe bet.) It`s vital to go organic.
-Taking omega-3`s in conjunction with your tea drinking will greatly enhance the effects of the antioxidants. A good quality Antarctic krill oil is the best omega-3 source in my opinion. (Mostly because of the naturally occurring astaxanthin protecting the EPA, DHA from oxidation.)
-Low dose and consistency in the long term will get you further than higher dose/short term supplementation.
Green tea. Pleasant medicine.
I was really into astaxanthin for a long time, and probably read half the studies on pubmed on it. A lot of indication it does wonders in vitro and in mice models etc. But like many other supplements I`ve used, when you actually try them in real life it`s hard to notice any effect. Of course you could argue that only long term use will yield results. (Like in decades.) But I also, even though I always do my homework thoroughly, like to actually notice a positive difference in whatever biomarker you`re monitoring. Of the things I`ve tried over the years I must say that for now, only organic green tea, high quality Antarctic krill oil, (contains astaxanthin that protects lipids from oxidation, unlike cod liver oil) and pastured desiccated beef liver/organs have stuck with me.
So why is green tea the best antioxidant currently available? It`s basically the combination of tons of studies proving it`s effectiveness, coupled with no known side effects. (More on that later.)
Green tea and Cancer
Cancer is caused by mutations, and what causes mutations is oxidative damage from many different sources. Poor diet, smoking, alcohol, radiation etc. Also short telomeres as a consequence of cell division gives rise to mutations. So anything you can do to avoid mutations is a good thing. The main antioxidant in tea, and particularly green tea is Epigallocatechin gallate. (EGCG) EGCG turns out to be a very efficient molecule when it comes to neutralizing free radicals, both on it`s own, and by stimulating the cells own antioxidant functions (enzymes etc.) I always try to find meta-data (analysis of all studies done on a certain topic) when it`s available, since it`s sort of the gold standard in science. Here`s just a couple of many done on green tea and cancer;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28095030
"The summary relative risk for the highest consumption (≥5 cups/day) of green tea on liver cancer incidence compared with nondrinkers was 0.62"
In other words, drinking 5 cups or more of green tea a day reduced the risk of liver cancer with a very substantial 38 percent.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380255/
This meta-analysis looked at prostate cancer (PC) which is particularly interesting, both since it`s the second most common diagnosed cancer over all, and also because there might be a connection between caffeine/coffee and PC. Green tea of course contains caffeine, but in small amounts compared to coffee. Anyway the study indicated a linear and inverse relationship between cups of green tea a day and risk of PC. "
"Our dose–response meta-analysis further demonstrated that higher green tea consumption was linearly associated with a reduced risk of PCa with more than 7 cups/day. In addition, green tea catechins were effective for preventing PCa with an RR of 0.38"
Green tea and Cardiovascular disease
There`s so much data here that I`ll just make some quick references to the most profound studies and meta-data again.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-hea...sease-risk
-A study of 40,530 Japanese adults found that participants who drank more than five cups of green tea a day had a 26% lower risk of death from heart attack or stroke and a 16% lower risk of death from all causes than people who drank less than one cup of green tea a day.
-Last year, a meta-analysis of observational studies—13 conducted in green tea drinkers and five in black tea drinkers—found that people who drank the most green tea had a 28% lower risk of coronary artery disease than those who drank the least green tea. Black tea had no effect on heart risk.
-Another 2011 meta-analysis of 14 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials found that green tea significantly lowered LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Many of the studies had been conducted with capsules containing catechins, the active polyphenols in green tea, rather than with the beverage itself.
(This summary also mentions dose and potential side effects, but I`ll deal with that at the end. Including why you should avoid tea pills)
Green tea and longevity
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3830687/
"Further analysis showed that compared to consistently infrequent tea drinkers, subjects who reported frequent tea drinking at both age 60 and at baseline (80 and above) survey had a 10% reduction in mortality"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22243697
32 606 individuals (men) aged 65 and above.
"Hazard regressions showed that men who drink tea almost every day have a 10-20 % lower risk of death compared to their counterparts who seldom drink tea, after adjusting for numerous confounders"
Although the type of tea is not specified here, the Chinese tend to drink a lot of green tea, as well as white tea and Oolong etc. that all have high levels of EGCG.
Dose and Toxicity
There has never been a reported case of clinical toxicity with a green tea beverage. And clinical studies with healthy individuals indicate that a dose of 800mg in the form of green tea extract was well tolerated by healthy subject. There has been a few individual cases however of mostly women with severe liver toxicity from diet pills containing green tea extract in the dose range of 700-1600mg approximately. But I suspect there might be other things at play here like dehydration and alcoholism etc. The take home point however is that if you consume the EGCG in tea form rather than a pill you will basically eliminate any risk of overloading your liver, since the liquid that goes with tea means the water soluble molecules in question can be handled without any issues. The only exception would be if you have severe liver problems, and/or struggle with alcoholism. It`s difficult to calculate the amount of EGCG in a cup of tea since it varies depending on the type of tea, amount used, brewing time etc. But a fair estimate would be something like 50-80mg from one cup of Sencha loose leaf tea. Maybe a little less from a tea bag of the same tea type. So if you stay within the 3-7 cups a day range there is no risk of any liver issues at all. It`s also worth mentioning that very high doses of any antioxidant is associated with a pro-oxidative effect on cells.
The best tea and Bioavailability
You want a tea that is high in EGCG, low in caffeine (I see no health benefit of caffeine, only downsides) and that is relatively inexpensive. I`m sure there are many options here, but organic Sencha tea seems like a good choice. It`s very high in antioxidants and relatively low in caffeine. Organic really matters when it comes to tea since tea leaves absorb more chemicals than say a sleek tomato or apple. (Plus it`s steeped in water.) Loose leaf will have more EGCG than tea bags, but it`s not really about `more is better` as I talked about above, so organic tea bags would be fine as well.
Despite all the positive effects described here, green tea catechins actually have very poor bioavailability. There is a way of greatly enhancing it`s effectiveness however. If you consume the green tea in conjunction with omega-3 long chain fatty acids the cells ability to utilize the EGCG will be greatly increased.
https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/s...031610.htm
"Researchers from the University of South Florida divided Alzheimer’s disease‑model mice into five feeding groups. During a period of 6 months, each group was fed one of five diets: fish oil only; high‑dose EGCG; low‑dose EGCG; low‑dose EGCG and fish oil; or a regular diet (control). The researchers observed that low‑dose EGCG alone did not reduce the Alzheimer’s disease-related chemical processes in the brain. However, the mice fed the combination of fish oil and EGCG had a significant reduction in amyloid deposits that have been linked with Alzheimer’s disease."
So if you also supplement with krill oil, which I much prefer to other types of fish oil, it will be much more effective. (You don`t have to take the krill oil at the same time as you drink the tea.)
In conclusion
-Consistently drinking green tea in the dose range of 3-4 and up to 7 cups a day as a part of your daily routine seems to be one the best and simplest things you can do to extend life and reduce your risk of pretty much all disease, including cancer, diabetes 2, cardiovascular disease, neuro-degenerative diseases etc.
-A tea low in caffeine and high in EGCG is the best choice. (Sencha is a safe bet.) It`s vital to go organic.
-Taking omega-3`s in conjunction with your tea drinking will greatly enhance the effects of the antioxidants. A good quality Antarctic krill oil is the best omega-3 source in my opinion. (Mostly because of the naturally occurring astaxanthin protecting the EPA, DHA from oxidation.)
-Low dose and consistency in the long term will get you further than higher dose/short term supplementation.
We will stomp to the top with the wind in our teeth.
George L. Mallory
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