Green tea may help fight eye ailments

 

In their animal model study, On Chu and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea extract and then tested their eye tissues to see if catechins affected them

Green tea has shown several health benefits in previous researches, such as fighting heart disease and cancer. Now a new study adds one more to them- Protection against eye diseases.

Adding to the surging list of health benefits related to green tea, a new research has shown that the tea may protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases, thanks to its high concentration of disease-fighting antioxidants called catechins, the antioxidants thought to protect the body against damage from oxygen.
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye in which damage is caused by elevated pressure within the eye. The disease leads to damage to the optic nerve and gradual loss of eyesight.

Green tea, the hot favorite in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Middle East, have been labeled as a health drink, reducing illnesses and assuring a healthy life.

Green tea and eye disease
Now, researchers of the latest research from the University of Hong Kong suggest that drinking green tea often may help protect against common eye diseases like glaucoma as it contains healthful substances which helps to penetrate health tissues.

Scientists from the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Hong Kong believe healthful substances found in green tea are capable of protecting the eye.

Antioxidants in green tea
According to them, the substances, known as “catechins,” can penetrate into the tissues of the eye, and have antioxidant activity there. These catechins are absorbed by the lens, retina and other parts of the eye and reduce oxidative stress in the eye.

Researcher Kai On Chu of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and colleagues say that their findings suggest that catechins have protective qualities against the oxidation that causes various eye diseases.

The study authors say that catechins are among a number of antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and zeaxanthin, thought to help protect the delicate tissues of the eye from glaucoma and other eye ailments.
Catechins beat harmful oxidative stress
On Chu said their study conducted on laboratory rats is the first to show that catechins pass from the gastrointestinal tract and the stomach into the eyes tissue.

In their animal model study, On Chu and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea extract and then tested their eye tissues to see if catechins affected them.

They found the green tea compounds, after reaching the eye tissues, did reduce harmful oxidative stress in the eyes for up to 20 hours.

The scientists’ team concludes that “Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress”.

The authors of the study reported benefits of green tea in ACS’s bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.