Green tea is known for being a health benefiting brew that fights a host of diseases and helps attain good health. It also lowers the risk of cardiovascular ailments including heart attack and stroke. Green tea is packed with natural agents such as catechins, polyphenols and antioxidants and helps protect the body against types of cancers, strengthen immunity, facilitate weight loss and help keep healthy bones. And now a recent study suggests that it may also benefit those suffering from bone marrow disorders.
The study, which was published in ‘Biological Chemistry,’ shows a certain compound found in green tea may help people suffering from bone marrow disorders such as multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. The American Cancer Society terms multiple myeloma as a type of cancer, “formed by malignant plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system”. On the other hand, Amyloidosis is an atypical disease and occurs when a certain protein – produced in bone borrow – began building up in the organs.
Researchers at the Washington University have established that a polyphenol named epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea can help patients suffering from Amyloidosis and multiple myeloma. The researchers’ first isolated individual light chains from nine patients with bone marrow disorders that triggered multiple myeloma or amyloidosis and then executed lab experiments to settle on how the green tea compound affected the light chain protein.
It was discovered that the polyphenol found in green tea prevent “light chain amyloid” from further accumulating or multiplying.
