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Green Tea's EGCg May Help Fight HIV
The Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) wreaks havoc on the immune system by
infecting and killing the helper T cells. And when the number of T-cells
declines below a certain level, cell-mediated immunity is lost and the
body becomes more and more susceptible to opportunistic infections. Left
untreated, most HIV-infected individuals develop AIDS (Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and eventually die.
When functioning normally, the
helper T-cells cruise through the body looking for signs of invading viruses,
bacteria or other pathogens. Upon discovering these invaders, the helper T cells
start reproducing, while simultaneously producing chemical messages to alert
other immune system cells that there’s an enemy on the scene. This cranks up
the immune reaction.
HIV throws a monkey wrench
into the immune-machinery by “hijacking” the helper T-cells and morphing them
into viral cells. But in order to make this happen, the virus must first attach
itself to a specific place on the T-cell’s surface known as the CD4 molecule.
Anything that could prevent this attachment, then, would be a good way to fight
HIV.
Enter green tea! In 2006,
researchers at the University of Sheffield, U.K. found that the green tea
catechin EGCg binds to the CD4 molecule, the very place on the T cell where the
virus attaches itself.1 The researchers theorized that by taking up
this space on the T-cell surface, EGCg may be able to exert a protective effect
against HIV infection. More studies need to be done to test this theory, but the
researchers concluded that, “Epigallocatechin gallate has potential use as
adjunctive therapy in HIV-1 infection.”
1Williamson
MP, McCormick TG, Nance CL, Shearer WT. Epigallocatechin gallate, the main
polyphenol in green tea, binds to the T-cell receptor, CD4: Potential for HIV-1
therapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;118(6):1369-74.
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com, the most
comprehensive collection of scientific information describing the
health benefits of green tea.
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