Green Tea Shown to Protect Against Obesity, Study Finds

The results were impressive. Mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with green tea extract gained 20 percent less weight than those not given the tea. The other groups showed no significant effects. Other parameters suggested that green tea supplementation promoted a healthier gut bacteria profile: lower insulin resistance and less colon inflammation.
An obvious caveat to the study’s conclusions is that while mice are genetically, biologically and in behavioral characteristics very close to humans, they are not identical. Extrapolating results from rodent studies, which account for approximately 95 percent of all medical research test subjects, to humans is notoriously unreliable.
But many press accounts interpreted the results as providing new evidence that green tea could help alleviate the ill-defined condition known as “leaky gut.” Leaky gut is the poorly substantiated claim that the protective lining of the intestine can lose its integrity and develop microscopic holes. Leaky gut is considered a common ailment by some nutritionists and is said to be associated with such symptoms as bloating, gas, food sensitivities and cramps. Doctors are more likely to regard it as a euphemism for hypochondria or a sign of another condition requiring more conventional diagnosis and treatment. Lately the consensus has been shifting, with the director of a leading American intestinal health center telling a reporter, “We know [leaky gut] is real, but we still don’t know what it means or what we, as therapists, can do about it, given our minimal scientific evidence.”
The human gut is a fantastically complex system whose dynamics are still not fully understood, even with the sophisticated technologies of molecular biology. Here are a few facts:

The small intestine is on average 23 feet long; the large intestine, five feet.
It hosts 40 trillion bacteria, many of which are beneficial, helping to synthesize vitamins and control the entry of nutrients and microbes into the bloodstream, but which have also been implicated in a range of diseases, including colon cancer, celiac disease and diabetes.
The estimated diversity of bacterial species: 1,000 to 40,000.
Known species of gut bacteria (as of February 2019): 2,000.

Richard Bruno, the lead researcher on the green tea study, was suitably cautious in interpreting his findings: “This study suggests that green tea supports the growth of ‘good’ bacteria within the gut, which could ultimately lead to benefits that may reduce the risk of obesity,” he said in a statement, emphasizing the need for human studies to evaluate the dose and formulation of any potential therapeutic agent.
He was more expansive in his hopes for what such research might yield: “Two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese and we have learned that simply telling people to eat less and exercise more is not working. Supplementing the approach to health promotion is critical.” Informally, he has estimated that drinking a cup or two of tea a day will “move the needle” toward better health, though individual requirements may vary.


Source: Worldteanews.com