HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Green Tea Helps Bone Health

Study Abstract

In this study, three tea catechins, epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and gallocatechin gallate (GCG), were investigated for their effects on bone metabolism. The effects of the tea catechins on bone formation were evaluated using cultured rat osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cell line UMR-106. EGC stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity significantly at concentrations of 10 and 20 μM. The amount of mineralization also increased significantly with EGC. On another cell culture platform, EGC significantly inhibited osteoclast formations from RAW 264.7 cells upon receptor activation of nuclear factor-κB ligand induction on the fourth day of treatment, at a concentration of 10 μM. EGC also dose-dependently inhibited the mRNA expression of tatrate-resistant acid phosphatase. GC and GCG could decrease osteoclastogenesis at 20 μM. The present study illustrated that the tea catechins, EGC in particular, had positive effects on bone metabolism through a double process of promoting osteoblastic activity and inhibiting osteoclast differentiations.

From press release:

Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea — one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement — may help improve bone health. They found that the tea contains a group of chemicals that can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown.

The beverage has the potential to help in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect million worldwide, the researchers suggest.

In the new study, Ping Chung Leung and colleagues note that many scientific studies have linked tea to beneficial effects in preventing cancer, heart disease, and other conditions. Recent studies in humans and cell cultures suggest that tea may also benefit bone health. But few scientific studies have explored the exact chemicals in tea that might be responsible for this effect.

The scientists exposed a group of cultured bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to three major green tea components — epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and gallocatechin gallate (GCG) — for several days. They found that one in particular, EGC, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by up to 79 percent. EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones. The scientists also showed that high concentrations of ECG blocked the activity of a type of cell (osteoclast) that breaks down or weakens bones. The green tea components did not cause any toxic effects to the bone cells, they note.

Study Information

Chun Hay Ko, Kit Man Lau, Wing Yee Choy and Ping Chung Leung,
Effects of Tea Catechins, Epigallocatechin, Gallocatechin, and Gallocatechin Gallate, on Bone Metabolism
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
2009 August
Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, SAR, People’s Republic of China.