engleski

Green tea – new knowledge on the trace of traditional experiences

Ljekovitost zelenog čaja, poznata još iz tradicionalne kineske medicine, posljednjih godina široko prodire u zapadnjačku kulturu, a njegova visoka popularnost i široka primjena navode na potrebu kritičkog preispitivanja točnih bioloških mehanizama i učinaka. Današnje spoznaje ljekovitost zelenog čaja pripisuju flavonoidima, osobito (-)-epigalokatehin-3- galatu (EGCG) koji spada u skupinu katehina. EGCG se pripisuje antioksidativno, kardioprotektivno i neuroprotektivno, protuuplano, antiartritično, antibakterijsko i antivirusno djelovanje. Osobito su interesantni podaci koji govore u prilog njegovom antikancerogenom i antiangiogenom djelovanju. U Aziji je uočena manja učestalost kardiovaskularnih bolesti i karcinoma čak i u populacijama s tradicionalno visokom prevalencijom pušača, a što se također pripisuje primjeni zelenog čaja. Provedene su i studije koje potvrđuju učinkovitost konzumiranja zelenog čaja u liječenju metaboličkog sindroma – pretilosti i šećerne bolesti tip 2, ali i ostalih klasičnih rizičnih čimbenika za razvoj kardiovaskularnih bolesti. Za ovaj „eliksir života“ smatra se kako je učinkovit i u snižavanju razine LDL kolesterola, triglicerida i fibrinogena, te da korigira nepovoljan odnos LDL i HDL kolesterola, čime bi se mogao objasniti još jedan od mehanizama smanjenja rizika od pojave ateroskleroze. Iako potiču iz malih, nerandomiziranih studija i in vitro pokusa, postojeći dokazi nagovještavaju veliki potencijal široke primjene zelenog čaja. Unatoč tome što je njegova neškodljivost dobro utemeljena, za široko preporučivanje u prevenciji kardiovaskularnih i metaboličkih bolesti ipak nedostaju velike randomizirane, prospektivne epidemiološke studije i intervencijski klinički pokusi. Od njih očekujemo značajne spoznaje u klasifikaciji stvarnog značaja konzumacije zelenog čaja, preporučene raspone doze i mehanizme bioloških djelovanja. The medicinal benefits of green tea, known even from the old traditional Chinese medicine, in recent years penetrated in the western culture, and its high popularity and wide use refer to the need for critical review of the exact biological mechanisms and effects. Today's knowledge of the medicinal benefits of green tea (prije: healing green tea's attributes) are related to flavonoids, especially (-)-epigalokatehin-3-gallate (EGCG), which belongs to the group of catechins. EGCG is credited with antioxidant, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, antibacterial and antiviral effects. The data that suggests its antiangiogenic and anticancer activities are particularly interesting. In Asia is observed lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer, even in populations with traditionally high prevalence of smokers, which is also attributed to the use of the green tea. Conducted studies confirm the effectiveness of drinking green tea in the treatment of metabolic syndrome - obesity and type 2 diabetes and other classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This "elixir of life", as they call the green tea, is considered as effective in lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and fibrinogen, as in correction the unfavorable ratio of LDL and HDL cholesterol, which could explain another mechanism to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Although originating from small, non-randomized studies and in vitro experiments, the current evidence suggests the great potential of wide use of green tea. Despite its well established safety, we still lack large randomized, prospective epidemiological studies and interventional clinical trials in order to largely recommend its use. We expect significant insights into the classification of the real importance of consumption of green tea, the recommended dose range and mechanisms of biological activity.

antioxidant substance ; atherosclerosis ; green tea ; flavonoids ; lipids ; metabolic syndrome

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