Digestion strengthens green tea benefits - Life Extension Update

While the digestive process enables us to absorb and benefit from the nutrients contained in food, it can have varying effects on therapeutic plant compounds that have been shown to have specific benefits in vitro. However, research described in the journal Phytomedicine reveals that the neuroprotective properties of green tea are actually improved by digestion, meaning that its benefits could be greater than anticipated.

Research has demonstrated that polyphenols in green and black tea help protect brain cells by binding with hydrogen peroxide and amyloid beta, which are toxic compounds that are increased in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.These tea phytochemicals are broken down to produce a number of compounds during digestion. "It's one of the reasons why we have to be so careful when we make claims about the health benefits of various foods and supplements," explained lead researcher Dr Ed Okello of England's Newcastle University. "There are certain chemicals we know to be beneficial and we can identify foods which are rich in them but what happens during the digestion process is crucial to whether these foods are actually doing us any good."

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