A team of Swiss scientists has come to an interesting conclusion that regular consumption of green tea has a beneficial effect on the longevity of the human body.
The catechin substances contained in green tea do not suppress oxidative stress in cells, but, on the contrary, provoke it. This conclusion was reached by scientists from ETH Zurich (Switzerland), according to a press release on MedicalXpress.
The researchers studied how catechins affect the nematodes of the Caenorhabditis elegans family. Paradoxically, in this case, this explains the health benefits of green tea – oxidative stress enhances the effect of antioxidant protection.
An article with the results of the research was later published in the journal Aging. It turned out that when catechins increased the production of reactive oxygen species, genes that produce certain antioxidant enzymes were activated. Thus, polyphenols in green tea act as prooxidants that enhance the body’s ability to cope with oxidative stress. As a result, catechins in green tea prolonged the life and improved the physical performance of nematodes.