Green Tea’s Anti-Cancer Mechcanism Discovered
Mechanism For Green Tea’s Anti-Cancer Action Discovered June 3, 2004 Green tea appears to protect against cancer by affecting a ‘promiscuous’ protein that pharmaceutical experts are already targeting in their work on anti-cancer drugs, according to new research.
The study, by PhD student Christine Palermo at the University of Rochester Medical Center, reveals a potential new mechanism to explain the tea, and particularly its active compounds’ action against cancer. While many studies suggest that green tea protects people against some forms of cancer, such as breast and liver cancer, exactly how it does so has been difficult to pinpoint.
“”It’s important to find out the source of green tea’s protective effects,”" said toxicologist Thomas A Gasiewicz, whose work on the harmful effects of dioxin led the Rochester group to explore the protective effects of green tea.
“”What is exciting here is that a completely new mechanism has been found that very well could be responsible for its protective effects, and that could help us find a compound that is much more potent.”"
Palermo, Gasiewicz, and current undergraduate Claire Westlake discovered that a chaperone protein known as HSP90 is involved in conferring green tea’s protective effects. Other researchers have shown that many cancer cells have an increase in the level of HSP90 compared to healthy cells, and that when HSP90 is blocked, levels of proteins that make cancer cells grow drop.
Drug makers are currently working on ways to block HSP90, which is known as a promiscuous chaperone protein because it binds to many different cells and receptors in the body. It turns out that those researchers are trying to duplicate what green tea does naturally. Gasiewicz says green tea might modulate HSP-90 in a way that researchers have not seen before.
Gasiewicz and his group have shown how dioxin and other substances like cigarette smoke manipulate a major cancer-causing molecule, the aryl hydrocarbon (AH) receptor, which frequently plays a role in turning on genes that are oftentimes harmful.
Two years ago the team discovered that AH activity is inhibited by a chemical found in white and green teas, epigallocatechingallate or EGCG, now being produced and marketed as a supplement by DSM.
“”We initially hypothesized that EGCG would work in the same way as other AH antagonists, by binding directly to it. We were completely surprised that this isn’t the case,”" said Gasiewicz, whose work was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Instead, the team found that EGCG binds to HSP90, a protein that helps other proteins stay stable, serving the same role as a tail on a kite. When the two bind, HSP90 no longer turns on the AH receptor, stopping the cascade of events that would lead to the activation of several harmful genes.
Another potential mechanism for green tea’s action was outlined recently by a team at the University of Wisconsin and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The found that green tea polyphenols reduce levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in prostate tumour cells in a mouse model for human prostate cancer. Increased levels of IGF-1 are associated with higher risk of several cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung and colon.
Meanwhile, researchers at Kyushu University in Japan reported last year that EGCG appears to inhibit tumour cell growth by binding to a receptor on cells called the 67-kDa laminin receptor. A variety of tumours produce abnormally high levels of 67 LR, and the receptor is thought to be involved in the spread of cancers through the body.
The new research was published in the 5 April issue of Biochemistry.
Additional Clinical Evidence: Antioxidants Boost Aging Brains
Additional Clinical Evidence: Antioxidants Boost Aging Brains November 10, 2003
Eating an antioxidant-rich diet os using antioxidant supplements help protect cognitive skills from deterioration during old age, according to new research presented at a meeting of neuroscientists in the US this weekend.
The study, conducted at the University of Toronto, Canada, showed that old dogs that were on an antioxidant-fortified diet performed better on a variety of cognitive tests than dogs that were not on the diet. In fact, the old dogs eating the antioxidant foods performed as well as young animals.
Dogs, like humans, develop a range of cognitive impairments as they age, including loss of some of their ability to learn new information and more difficulty retaining information in both short-term and long-term memory. The results of the study suggest that antioxidants could also help buffer the effects of ageing in people.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene, have been shown to help reduce oxidation, a process that can cause damage to cells and may contribute to ageing, including the reduced cognitive decline that typically develops with age. Studies also suggest that antioxidants may protect against certain cancers, heart disease and other non-neurological age-related diseases, although evidence is so far inconclusive.
“”Although we found that not all cognitive functions respond to antioxidant treatment, our data suggests that antioxidants play an important role in preventing or slowing age-related cognitive impairments,”" said Dr Dwight Tapp, now at the University of California Irvine, speaking at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, running from 8-12 November in New Orleans, US.
Tapp and his colleagues used 39 beagles in the current study, part of a three-year trial examining the effects of age, cognitive stimulation and antioxidant treatment on cognitive decline in the dogs.
Previous reports from this study revealed improvements in simple cognitive functions. The present study examined the effects of antioxidants on more complex cognitive processes, measured by a size-concept task, which engages more cognitive faculties (such as stimulus generalisation, transposition, memory and concept learning), according to the researchers.
The dogs were divided into four groups based on age, cognitive ability and diet. There were 11 aged dogs on the control diet, 12 on the antioxidant diet, seven young controls and nine young antioxidant-fed dogs. The dogs were on the diets for 1.5 years and all were in the cognitively enriched group.
Antioxidant treatment led to significantly improved test performance in aged dogs but did not affect the young dogs suggesting a selective improvement of factors related to the ageing process rather than general cognitive enhancement, reported the researchers.
Tapp said that the diet is most effective in animals that already have some degree of cognitive impairment. The study is currently ongoing in the younger dogs to determine if the diet has a protective effect on age-related cognitive decline in general.
“”The role of diet in cognitive function is one of the vastly understudied areas in the neurosciences,”" commented Carl W. Cotman, of the University of California-Irvine, at this week’s meeting. But as this and other new research shows, significant new findings highlight the importance of research into diet and cognition for future generations.
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FDA Approves Healthy Heart Claim for Omega-3 Fortified Foods
FDA EXTENDS HEALTH CLAIM TO OMEGA- EPA/DHA FORTIFIED FOODS WASHINGTON, D.C., September 8, 2004-The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) commends FDA’s actions today extending the qualified health claim for Omega-3 EPA and DHA, previously available only for supplements, to conventional foods, but suggested FDA fell short of recommending what the science supports. According to CRN President Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., “”Petitioners, including CRN, requested a full health claim for Omega-3 EPA/DHA and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, and we continue to believe that the science is strong enough to warrant an unqualified health claim. While it is logical for FDA to have extended the qualified health claim to conventional foods, as well as supplements, given they both provide the same beneficial nutrients, we hope that as the positive science continues to build FDA will move towards a full health claim.”" Dr. Dickinson added, “”We are disappointed that in today’s action FDA established no minimum requirement for the amount of Omega-3 EPA/DHA that a conventional food must contain in order to use the qualified health claim. We further believe it will do consumers a disservice if foods with insignificant amounts of these fatty acids carry the claim.”" The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement industry ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices. For more information on CRN, visit http://www.crnusa.org.
Soda Consumption: A Major Health Risk
By Janice Billingsley HealthScoutNews Reporter SATURDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthScoutNews) — Soft drinks may fill you up, but they let you down when it comes to vitamins and minerals. A University of Missouri consumer economist, analyzing the results of a national food survey, found that people significantly increased their chances of being deficient in the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for common vitamins and minerals when they consumed a lot of sugared drinks. RDA deficiencies are not common. In the some 15,000 people who self-reported their food intake for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study, from only 1 percent to 8 percent of the participants were not getting the proper amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. However, says Michael S. Finke, an assistant professor or consumer and family economics at Missouri, the consequences of getting ever more calories from soft drinks or fruit-flavored sugared drinks with no nutrients is a trend that needs attention. “”RDA deficiency is not a major problem because a lot of foods have vitamins and minerals added, but this study shows that more nutrient-rich foods are being replaced by sugar drinks,”" says Finke, author of the study, appearing in the December issue of the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal. “”People haven’t really highlighted the consequences of this major food consumption trend,”" he says. Part of the problem could be simple economics, he says. Soda is a very cheap way to get calories. “”Soda pop has always been around, but it’s so much cheaper now, relatively speaking, than it was 30 years ago that it is an enticing food option for resource-constrained families,”" Finke says. “”A three-liter bottle of soda is 69 cents and contains 1,000 calories.”" The only cheaper food source, he says, is vegetable oils. Between 1970 and 1997, Finke says in his study, there has been a 86 percent increase in annual per capita consumption of carbonated, sugared soft drinks. One 12-ounce can of cola supplies about 150 calories from about 10 teaspoons of sugar. In the study, Finke reviewed the results of a 1994-1996 survey of the USDA’s Food Intakes by Individuals, to see if there were any associations between soda consumption and vitamin and mineral deficiency among participants in the self-reported food survey. The scientists looked at 14 vitamins and minerals, including: vitamins A, E, C, B6, and B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate, and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc. The study did not include information about any vitamin or mineral supplements taken. “”The results were a little bit more dramatic that I had expected,”" he says. “”I expected the results would be significant for nutrients associated with foods that might be replaced by soda, like calcium in milk, but the results were also significant for every other vitamin and mineral.”" Finke and his colleagues found that sugar drink consumption was the most consistent variable — more than gender, race, or income — to signal the probability that people would not meet their RDA requirements. The problem, he says, is not failure to meet RDA requirements, as only a small proportion of the participants actually failed to do so, ranging from 181 people (1.2 percent) for niacin to 1,168 people (7.8 percent) for vitamin A. However, the trend of increased soda pop consumption could increase the likelihood that more people would fail to meet their RDA requirements down the road. “”If someone drinks two cans of soda daily, which is about 15 percent of daily caloric intake, there is a 1 percent decrease in the probability that the person will meet their RDA requirements in calcium, for instance,”" Finke says. “”So if the trend continues in the future as it has in the past, sugar drink consumption will have an even greater impact on failure to meet RDA’s.”" Finke says he is an economist, not a nutritionist, “”but it seems obvious that we should pay attention to this trend in U.S. food consumption and look at things we can to do reduce sugared drink consumption by making other foods less expensive and more palatable.”" Connie Diekman, a nutritionist at the Washington University in St. Louis, agrees that soft drink consumption is a trend threatening to compromise good, nutritional health, especially in young people. “”What this study and others have shown is that adolescents increasingly turn to soft drinks for hydration and then don’t need to get those calories from healthier choices,”" she says. “”In addition, the long-term effects of inadequate calcium — maybe not deficient, but less than that needed for bone health — are a major health issue.”" What To Do See a report on soda consumption by teens at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Go to the American Dietetic Association for some tips on how much soda to consume. SOURCES: Michael S. Finke, Ph.D., assistant professor, consumer and family economics, University of Missouri, Columbia; Connie Diekman, M.Ed., R.D., L.D., F.A.D.A., director, university nutrition, Washington University, St. Louis and spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association; December 2002 Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal
Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract Reduces Need for Hypertension Drugs
Pycnogenol Reduces Need for Hypertension Drugs February 20, 2004 High blood pressure patients can significantly reduce their prescription medication by taking an antioxidant supplement to improve heart health, show the results of a new clinical study.
Published in January’s issue of Life Sciences (74(7):855-62), the double-blind, placebo-controlled study demonstrated that 58 participants with high blood pressure medication were able to cut their dosage of prescribed medication in half when they supplemented with the French maritime pine tree bark extract Pycnogenol.
High blood pressure is estimated to affect one out of every four American adults due to stress, older age and obesity.
Research has previously suggested that antioxidants can both reduce inflammation and fight free radicals that may damage heart health. Studies on Pycnogenol, the brand name of a natural plant extract from the bark of the Maritime pine that grows along the coast of southwest France, have associated its combination of procyanidins and bioflavonoids, with numerous heart health benefits, including lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, a reduction in platelet activity, relaxed artery constriction and improvements in circulation.
The new research at the Chinese Medical Science Research Institute in Beijing found that supplementation with 100mg Pycnogenol over a period of 12 weeks helped to reduce patients’ dose of the calcium antagonist nifedipine in a statistically significant manner, said the researchers.
Both groups experienced mild gastrointestinal problems, vertigo, headache and nausea but these were not greater in the Pycnogenol group.
“”Taking into account its ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and its diverse anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions, we suggest that French maritime pine tree bark extract offers a broad spectrum of protection for the patient with high blood pressure,”" said Peter Rohdewald from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Munster, one of the authors of this study.
The extract been widely studied for the past 35 years and is available in over 140 dietary supplements, multi-vitamins and health products worldwide.
It is distributed in North America by Natural Health Science (NHS) based in Hillside, New Jersey, for its manufacturer Horphag Research.
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Frontline Vaccination Approved
WASHINGTON — No longer convinced it could easily contain a terrorist attack of smallpox, the U.S. government has decided to vaccinate 500,000 health-care and emergency “”first responders.”" The New York Times reported yesterday that the new government program is being prompted by fears that the more limited program previously in place would not be sufficient to contain an airborne attack of the deadly virus against the U.S. populace. Since Sept. 11, officials have become increasingly afraid that terrorists or a foreign government might attempt to import smallpox into the United States and unleash it on a civilian population. Without proper vaccination, the disease is fatal in one of three instances. Since smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980, virtually the entire North American population has either never been vaccinated or vaccinated so long ago that the protection is no longer effective. However, a mass program was not considered advisable because in rare cases the smallpox vaccination produces its own reaction, which can even be fatal. About one person in 10,000 will suffer a reaction, and one person in a million could die, with the very young, the old and those with weakened immune systems most at risk. Instead of mass vaccination, previous government plans called for a “”ring defence”" of vaccinations to contain a local outbreak. Only about 15,000 essential health personal were to be inoculated; if an outbreak occurred, those close to the centre of the disease would be vaccinated. (Smallpox vaccine is effective if taken either before or within four days of exposure. Even if taken later in the incubation period, it can lesson the severity of an attack.) Under the new plans, far more essential workers would be inoculated in advance, and a countrywide mass vaccination program is being communicated to state and city governments in case a ring defence of an isolated attack proves insufficient. The Canadian government is pursuing a similar strategy of relying on a ring defence while acquiring sufficient vaccine for the entire population. But it is not known whether Ottawa has decided to expand the number of first-responders who are to be vaccinated in advance. Last fall’s anthrax attacks revealed how easily deadly diseases can be distributed as airborne particles. And fears of biochemical attack against the United States are increasing as word leaks of advancing plans for a U.S. invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which has used biochemical weapons against its enemies in the past. Another element behind the wider inoculations is the success of a crash program to produce enough vaccine to protect the entire U.S. populace. About 100 million doses are currently available — 160 million if the vaccine is used in a watered-down form that is nonetheless effective. “”Now we can act differently, because we have more of the vaccine,”" Donald Henderson, senior science adviser to Health Secretary Tommy Thompson, told the Times.
After 115 Years Woman Was Mentally Alert and Active
115-Year-Old’s Brain Was Sharp Until the End June 13, 2008
Associated Press
A Dutch woman who was the oldest person in the world when she died at age 115 in 2005 appeared sharp right up to the end, joking that pickled herring was the secret to her longevity. Scientists say that Henrikje van Andel-Schipper’s mind was probably as good as it seemed: a post-mortem analysis of her brain revealed few signs of Alzheimer’s or other diseases commonly associated with a decline in mental ability in old age. That came as something of a surprise, said Gert Holstege, a professor at Groningen University, whose findings will be published in the August edition of Neurobiology of Aging. “”Everybody was thinking that when you have a brain over 100 years, you have a lot of problems,”" he said in a telephone interview on Friday. He cited a common hardening of arteries and the build up of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease as examples. “”This is the first (extremely old) brain that did not have these problems.”" Van Andel was the oldest living person in the world at the time of her death in 2005 in the Dutch city of Hoogeveen, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1972, the then 82-year-old Van Andel called the University of Groningen in order to donate her body to science. She called again at age 111 because she worried she might no longer be of interest. At that time Holstege began to interview her, testing her cognitive abilities at ages 112 and 113. Though she had problems with her eyesight, she was alert and performing better than the average 60- to 75-year-old. Dr. Murali Doraiswamy of the Center for Aging at Duke University, not associated with the study, said it is unusual and valuable. In the first place there are few “”super-centenarians”" — people 110 and older — alive at any one time, a slim proportion of the world’s population and a scant number even compared to those who reach 100 years. As a result, he said, there are few chances to study brains as old as hers. “”It’s very rare to be able to do not only a post-mortem, but also be able to have tested her two, three years before she died,”" said Doraiswamy. “”For a scientist, getting the opportunity to study someone like that is like winning the lottery.”" Doraiswamy, an Alzheimer’s expert, said that the proportion of brains with some buildup of proteins associated with the disease increases with age. As a result, experts theorize anybody who lives long enough will get them eventually. When Van Andel died, the director of the elderly home where she was living declined to give a cause of death, pointing to her extremely advanced years. Holstege said she died of cancer. “”She died from stomach cancer, and you and I can also die from stomach cancer,”" he said, adding that her case demonstrates that very old people die of diseases, not simply old age. “”It is very important to treat the elderly as normal people, as if they are 50 or 60.”" He noted that Van Andel was operated on at age 100 for breast cancer and survived 15 more years. When she was born in 1890, she weighed only 3.5 pounds, and her mother expected her to die in infancy. Van Andel’s husband died in 1959. She had no children. Longevity was in her genes, as all her siblings lived past 70, and her mother died at the age of 100. Asked what advice she would give to people who want to live a long time, she once quipped: “”Keep breathing.”"
Brainfood
Last year, the reported antics of a group of geriatric rodents in Boston made headlines that gave a lot of farmers in South Georgia reason to smile. Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging at Tufts University conducted a study to determine if a diet rich in fruit and vegetable extracts had measurable effects on the health of old rats. Specifically, the researchers fed supplements of extracts of spinach, strawberries, and blueberries to 19-month-old rats for a period of eight weeks. (This is apparently equivalent to 65-70 in people years). Rats, it seems, like human folks, can have declines in their health with age. They easily lose their balance, can topple over when they walk on skinny metal rods, and sometimes get confused and lost in a maze. The study found that the groups that were fed the strawberry and blueberry extracts came out on top in tests of balance and coordination. Rats in these groups were able to balance on a rod longer, and find their way in a maze better than the ones that ate no fruits or vegetables, or ate just the spinach. The blueberry group did the best of all. They actually improved their navigational skills, coordination, and speed. This amazing discovery was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, and blueberries suddenly became known as a “brain food”, assuring them an honored place in the Fruit of the Month Club for years to come. The findings of the Tufts scientists were impressive enough that a NIH news release September 15, 1999 proclaimed “Blueberries: New Thrills for Those Over the Hill!” The secret anti-aging compound in these little flavor bombs is thought to be the antioxidant phytochemicals in the blueberry called anthocyanins. These are the natural substances that are responsible for the deep blue and red pigments found in blueberries and other colorful fruits. Blueberries have been shown to have the highest concentration of antioxidants of any fruit that has been studied. One half cup of South Georgia Rabbit Eye blueberries has as much antioxidant power as five servings of carrots, peas, apples, broccoli, or squash. And usually easier to get the kids to eat. Blueberries appear to offer protection from oxidative stress in the heart as well as the brain. Besides the evidence that blueberries may help reverse age related problems in memory and balance, there is interest in their role in promoting vision health. One of their European cousins, the bilberry, has been linked with improvement of night vision. Blueberries are nicknamed the “vision fruit” in Japan, and researchers at Tufts are now studying the ability of blueberries to prevent macular degeneration, a disease of the retina, which is a major cause of blindness in persons over 65. Blueberries, like cranberries, contain compounds that help prevent urinary tract infections by inhibiting the adherence of bacteria to the bladder wall. Unlike cranberry juice, which is often consumed for this benefit and is rather high in calories, blueberries have only 80 calories per cup. They have also been found to be rich in Vitamin C. It will be a few years before we are able to determine if humans will see the same benefits from blueberries as the old Boston rodents. But I figure that I
Garlic Compound Beats Antibiotic-Resistant Bug
Garlic Compound Beats Antibiotic-Resistant Bug December 14, 2003
Microbiologist Dr Ron Cutler, based at the University of East London, claims that the garlic compound allicin not only kills established varieties of MRSA, but also destroys the new generation of ’super-superbugs’ that have evolved resistance to Vancomycin and Glycopeptides, the powerful antibiotics widely considered to be the last line of defence against MRSA.
Allicin can cure patients with MRSA-infected wounds within weeks, according to a paper to be published early next year.
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) now causes an estimated 2,000 deaths in UK hospitals each year, mainly through secondary infection of surgical wounds. MRSA organisms can live harmlessly in humans and are carried in the nasal passages and on the skin, but they can cause fatal infection in immune-suppressed patients, the elderly, the young and those with surgical implants.
Doctors have become increasingly alarmed over the past few months by the emergence in UK hospitals of new generations of resistant strains of MRSA known as VISAs and GISAs (Vancomycin or Glycopeptide-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MRSA has also become endemic in many hospitals, especially in London and the south-east of England.
After showing that allicin destroys the MRSA microbe in laboratory trials, Cutler has now teamed up with the firm Allicin International to develop topical treatments including a nasal cream, oral capsules and soaps that have proved effective against both MRSA and GISA.
The company has also provided funding for a major clinical trial to test the use of allicin to reduce nasal carriage on around 200 healthy volunteers. Initial results are due to be published in summer 2004.
“”The trials we have conducted so far show that this formulation is highly effective against MRSA, and it could save many lives. This finding is backed up by initial findings from a number of recent case studies. We have been trying to set up a clinical trial for many months now, and at last we have secured funding from sources including Allicin International,”" said Dr Cutler.
The in vitro research was presented at the Institute of Biomedical Scientists congress in Birmingham during October and is being prepared for publication in the Journal of Biomedical Science next year.
“”MRSA is causing a genuine crisis in our hospital system in Britain and worldwide. Antibiotics are increasingly ineffective, but we do have a powerful natural ally. Garlic has been used in medicine for centuries, and it should be no surprise that it is effective against this very modern infectio,”" added Cutler.
A study published last year found that raw garlic consumption could help limit the damage done to the heart after surgery because of its natural antioxidant properties. Supplements of allicin have also been shown to reduce risk of colds, prevent high blood pressure and kill cancer cells.
Black Tea Compounds Boost Insulin In Diabetics
COMPOUNDS FOUND IN BLACK TEA PROTECT AGAINST DIABETES March 4, 2008
Compounds in black tea may be able to mimic insulin and help prevent diabetes, suggests new research from Scotland. Compounds in black tea called theaflavins and thearubigins were found to be able to mimic the effects of insulin, according to the results of the study published in the journal Aging Cell. The study looks set to add to an ever-growing body of science linking consumption of the beverage to a wide range of health benefits, including lower risk of certain cancers, weight loss, and protection against Alzheimer’s. “”In some studies, black tea consumption has been associated with a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer, but the mechanisms are far from clear,”" wrote lead author Amy Cameron from the University of Dundee. “”We have now identified a family of tea compounds that mimic the effect of insulin signalling to FOXO1a and PEPCK, key downstream effectors of cellular insulin/longevity signalling.”" The researchers explain that forkhead transcription factor family O (FOXO) plays a role in regulating the rate of ageing in response to dietary factors, and obesity and age-induced deficits in the same pathway are linked to genes such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). “”With the exception of water, tea is the most popular drink globally, but despite this, little is known about the biological availability of black tea polyphenols in vivo or the molecular target(s) mediating the effects presented here,”" they added. The health benefits of tea have been linked to the polyphenol content of the tea. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin. In the new study Cameron and co-workers screened dietary compounds for their ability to effect insulin-like signalling to FOXO1a and PEPCK in the hepatoma HL1c cell line, a cells previously shown to faithfully model many aspects of insulin’s repression of glucose in the liver. Three black tea theaflavins, theaflavin 3-O-gallate, theaflavin 3′-O-gallate, theaflavin 3,3′di-O-gallate and thearubigins were identified to possess novel insulin mimicking effects. And putting the compounds in the context of green tea, and especially EGCG, Cameron noted that this compounds effects on the FOXO1a and PEPCK pathway of depend on the conversion of EGCG to these larger structures. “”We have now identified a family of tea compounds that mimic the effect of insulin signalling to FOXO1a and PEPCK, key downstream effectors of cellular insulin/longevity signaling,”" wrote the researchers. “”Further investigation in this area to identify not only the molecular target mediating the effects that we have observed, but also agents capable of acting in this manner in vivo, might lead to the generation of drugs or specific dietary interventions to treat or defer the onset of these age-related diseases,”" they concluded. An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030. In the US, there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to seven per cent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $132 billion, with $92 billion being direct costs from medication, according to 2002 American Diabetes Association figures. Source: Aging Cell (Blackwell) February 2008, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 69-77, doi:10.1111/j.1474-9726.2007.00353.x “”Black tea polyphenols mimic insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling to the longevity factor FOXO1a”" Authors: Amy R. Cameron, S. Anton, L. Melville, N.P. Houston, S. Dayal, G.J. McDougall, D. Stewart, G. Rena