It is by now a well-known fact that green tea has been touted as a super beneficial beverage that not only detoxes the body, but also aids weight loss. Green tea also boosts our immune system to build strong defence against several chronic diseases. Adding on to the list of health benefits, a recent study has found that green tea extract – if combined with regular exercise – has the potential to combat fatty liver disease. What is green tea extract? It is a supplement derived from green tea plant, which contains concentrated compounds of green tea – antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and flavonoids.
In the study, conducted on mice that were fed a high-fat diet, the researchers found that green tea extract and exercise reduced the severity of the disease by 75 percent. The study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
As reported in ANI, Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science, explained that the outcome of this study is important as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a significant global health problem, which is expected to worsen down the line. Fatty liver diseases, which are of two types (alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver) is getting more and more rampant world-wide. Where excessive consumption of alcohol is the reason behind alcoholic fatty-liver disease, the causes for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still unknown. Some of the common risk factors of the second type are obesity, type-2 diabetes and high cholesterol level.
The recent report says that due to the high prevalence of the risk factors, NAFLD is forecasted to ail more than 100 million people by 2030. Moreover, currently there is no validated therapy for the disease.
After analysing the mice for 16 weeks, Lambert said, “By examining the livers of these mice after the study concluded and by screening their faeces during the research, we saw that the mice that consumed green tea extract and exercised actually were processing nutrients differently — their bodies were handling food differently.”
He also stated, “I believe people should engage in more physical activity, and replacing high-calorie beverages with decaffeinated, diet green tea — which has no calories — is a smart move,” adding, “Combining the two might have health benefits for people, but we don’t have the clinical data yet.”
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