Pakistan Information & News

A compound found in green tea appears to reduce the inflammatory responses associated with autoimmune diseases say researchers from the Medical College of Georgia in the journal Autoimmunity and the researchers have been working with animals modeling primary Sjogren’s syndrome also known as dry mouth which damages the glands that produce tears and saliva. While around 30 percent of elderly Americans suffer from dry mouth only around 5 percent of elderly people in China do and dry mouth is also seen in patients undergoing radiation treatment. Sjogren’s syndrome causes the body to attack itself and produce extra antibodies that mistakenly target the salivary and lacrimal glands. In his study researcher Stephen Hsu found significantly less salivary gland damage in a group of animals treated with green tea extract. Hsu explained that the animals treated with green tea had significantly lower levels of autoantibodies protein weapons produced when the immune system attacks itself. The salivary gland cells treated with EGCG a component of green tea] had much fewer signs of cell death caused by TNF-alpha [a group of proteins involved in inflammation and said Hsu. We don’t yet know exactly how EGCG makes that happen. That will require further study. In some ways and this study gives us more questions than answers. Hsu speculates that the EGCG in green tea can turn on the body’s defense system against TNF-alpha. Further study could help determine green tea’s protective role in other autoimmune diseases including lupus psoriasis scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis.

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I thought this was a wind-up when I first read it. But no, it’s true. England have signed up the humble Jaffa cake to be their “official energy snack” for 2007. This is great news for the oft-abused cake, one which is seen as part of a student’s staple diet and not nearly in the same class of tea-dunkage as, say, the Rich Tea. Win or lose this summer, the Jaffa should hopefully be promoted to the gold league of biscuits. I can demolish two packets with a sufficient vat of tea to help wash it down.
The best thing to come out of this news, though, is the following line from John Perera, the ECB’s commercial director.
“We are very excited about working closely with Jaffa cakes in 2007″.

Original post by Will and software by Elliott

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