London: Love your cup of green tea? Besides playing a role in weight loss and boosting immunity, gre<\/b>
\nLondon: Love your cup of green tea? Besides playing a role in weight loss and boosting immunity, green tea \u2014 rich in antioxidants \u2014 may also help prevent deaths due heart attacks and strokes caused by atherosclerosis \u2014 a condition of narrowed artery walls due to fat build-up, claims a study.
According to the researchers, a compound called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), found in green tea, breaks up and dissolves potentially dangerous protein plaques found in the blood vessels.
\u201cThe health benefits of green tea have been widely promoted and it has been known for some time that EGCG can alter the structures of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer\u2019s diseas,\u201d said David Middleton, Professor at Britain\u2019s Lancaster University.
\u201cOur results show that this intriguing compound might also be effective against the types of plaques which can cause heart attacks and strokes,\u201d he added.
\u201c\u2026 by engineering the molecule slightly, we might be able to make new medicines to treat heart attack and stroke,\u201d said Jeremy Pearson Professor and Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation \u2014 a Britain-based charity organisation.
The study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, showed that EGCG binds to the amyloid fibres of a protein called apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1), which converts the fibres to smaller soluble molecules that are less likely to be damaging to blood vessels.
The team is now working on finding ways of introducing effective amounts of EGCG into the bloodstream without it being necessary to drink large and potentially harmful quantities of green tea.
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