Green Tea Benefits Go Skin Deep
Drinking tea is good for health but green tea in particular may offer benefits that literally go skin deep. Recent studies conducted by researchers in the University of Manchester in the UK suggest that green tea extracts may help protect the skin against sunburn and the long term effects of UV damage.
The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.1The research tea, led by Lesley Rhodes, recruited 14 healthy subjects aged on average, 42.5 years (range 29–59 years), who were given a low dose of green tea catechins (540 grams) a day in combination with Vitamin C. After 12 weeks, researchers observed an increase in metabolites of green tea catechinsin skin fluids. Erythema levels were quantified pre- and post-supplementationfrom the buttocks, which were exposed to UV rays. Exposure to UV rays generally results in an increase in the markers of inflammation, PGE2 and 12-HETE. But after the 12-week supplementation 12-HETE were reduced by supplementation although PGE2 remained the same. Scientists thus believe that green tea supplementation may help protect the skin against sunburn and the long-term damage of UV rays.In the words of the research team:
"Thus, GTC intake results in the incorporation of catechin metabolites into human skin associated with abrogated UVR-induced 12-HETE; this may contribute to protection against sunburn inflammation and potentially longer-term UVR-mediated damage."
Other studies have shown that dietary constituents, like polyphenols and carotenoids, may help promote photoprotection and modify skin characteristics. In a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Germany, 60 female volunteers were randomly given either a green tea beverage or a control beverage. The group given the green tea beverage was seen to have increased blood flow and oxygen delivery in the skin. Green tea polyphenols were shown to offer skin protective benefits against harmful UV radiation and improve the overall skin quality of women.2
What exactly is green tea?
Green tea is derived from the leaves of the plant, Camellia sinensis. It has high polyphenolic content because, unlike black tea, green tea does not go through a fermentation process that kills most of the bioactive compounds in the leaves.Green tea contains 30 to 40 percent water extractable polyphenols while black tea contains between 3 and 10 percent. The four main polyphenols found in green tea are:
Epigallocatechingallate (EGCG)
Epigallocatechin (EGC)
Epicatechingallate (ECG)
Epicatechin (EC)
Extracts of green tea providehigher concentrations of green tea’spolyphenolic content.
More Benefits of Green Tea
In addition to offering skin health benefits, green tea is known to support one’s mental health and possesses thermogenic properties that help aid healthy weight loss. Studies also show that green tea supplementation may promote cardiovascular health by helping the body maintain healthy cholesterol levels, support bone health, reduce the risk of several degenerative diseases and regulate healthy glucose levels.3
Green Tea Supplement Manufacturing
Given the vast popularity of green tea amongst consumers in the United States4and the various health benefits associated with it, now seems to be a perfect time to add a green tea supplement to your product line.
Green tea can be manufactured in a variety of popular mediums, such as capsules, tablets and powders. Be sure to partner with an experienced dietary supplement manufacturer who holds an award-winning reputation and completes all of its manufacturing in a facility that has been GMP certified by a trustworthy third party, such as the NSF.
References:
Oral green tea catechin metabolites are incorporated into human skin and protect against UV radiation-induced cutaneous inflammation in association with reduced production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoid 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, British Journal of Nutrition / FirstViewArticle,pp 1-10. journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8825961
J Nutr. 2011 Jun;141(6):1202-8. doi: 10.3945/jn.110.136465. Epub 2011 Apr 27. Green tea polyphenols provide photoprotection, increase microcirculation, and modulate skin properties of women. Heinrich U, Moore CE, De Spirt S, Tronnier H, Stahl W. Institute for Experimental Dermatology, University of Witten-Herdecke, D-58455 Witten, Germany.
Green tea, Medline Plus, National Institutes of Health, nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/960.html
Mintel 2011a. Institute of Food Technologies, ift.org/food-technology/past-issues/2012/april/features/top-10-functional-food-trends.aspx?page=viewall.
