Drinking green tea may protect eyes by HealthDay
SATURDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Beneficial ingredients in
green tea penetrate into the tissues of the eye and may help
protect against glaucoma and other eye diseases, says a new
study.
Researchers analyzed eye tissue from rats that drank green tea
and found that the lens, retina and other tissues absorbed
significant amounts of green tea catechins, which are antioxidants
believed to protect the eye. Catechins include vitamin C, vitamin
E, lutein and zeaxanthin.
The action of the green tea catechins in reducing harmful
oxidative stress in the eyes lasted for up to 20 hours.
"Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit
the eye against oxidative stress," wrote Chi Pui Pang of the
department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the Chinese
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, and
colleagues.
The findings are published in the Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry.
Prior to this study, it wasn't known if the catechins in green
tea traveled from the digestive system into the tissues of
eyes.
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