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Green tea extract and ME/CFS

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
Behav Brain Res. 2009 Jul 27. [Epub ahead of print] Links
Epigallocatechin gallate ameliorates chronic fatigue syndrome in mice: Behavioral and Biochemical Evidence.


They basically gave these mice what they believe is chronic fatigue syndrome by injecting them with lipopolysaccharides - which are, as I remember, bacterial toxins. After they did this the mice had increased fatigue, less mobility, etc. and increased oxidative stress and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production.

Simply by giving the mice epigallocatechin gallate the mice recovered from their reaction to the pathogenic toxins; their fatigue disappeared in the size of oxidative stress and inflammation did as well.

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of the epigallocatechin gallate in a mouse model of immunologically-induced chronic fatigue. On 19th day, after lipopolysaccharide/Brucella abortus administration, the mice showed significant increase in immobility period, post swim fatigue and thermal hyperalgesia. Behavioral deficits were coupled with enhanced oxidative-nitrosative stress as evident by increased lipid peroxidation, nitrite levels and decreased endogenous antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and catalase) and inflammation (increased levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and tissue growth factor-beta). Chronic treatment with epigallocatechin gallate restored these behavioral and biochemical alterations in mice. The present study points out towards the beneficial effect of epigallocatechin gallate in the amelioration of chronic fatigue syndrome and thus may provide a new, effective and powerful strategy to treat chronic fatigue syndrome.

Another study found that it increased endurance in fatigued mice as well.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18455659?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Epig....gallate is found in Green tea extract. Interestingly given our recent discussion of mesenchymal cells and Dr. Cheney's use of them epi...gallate has been shown to possibly increase the viability of those treatments.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640263?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

This study notes that the bioavailability of epi...gallate is generally low but that it can be boosted with quercetin and red onions(!)(?)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19585479?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Anyone ever try green tea extract?
 

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
Green tea extract?

So you're not asking if anyone has drunk green tea ... what form does this extract come in?
 

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
It comes in capsule form. Prohealth sells it. I trust Prohealth because my understanding is that their stuff under goes rigorous testing procedures. I can't drink green tea because of the caffeine but the capsules are certainly a possibility.
 

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
You might like the capsules better anyway. I know it's good for you, but green tea is yucky.
 

Michelle

Decennial ME/CFS patient
Messages
172
Location
Portland, OR
I've been taking 4 capsules with 500mg of Green Tea Extract/day, containing a fairly high level of polyphenols (60%) since February. Has not affected my energy levels one iota. What works in mice does not necessarily work on humans. Though the study wasn't necessarily addressing the underlying cause of ME/CFS since we don't what that is yet.

However, my LDL cholesterol dropped 20 points. I started it for hypercholesterolemia based on this study, which was pretty significant. Note that the title focuses on blood pressure but the study details focus on cholesterol levels.
 

Tony

Still working on it all..
Messages
363
Location
Melbourne, Australia
But Jody....I like green tea! :)

Martin Pall's protocol includes "Flavinox" which includes green tea extract at 80mg per capsule.
It's got a lot of other stuff in there, milk thistle, ginkgo, hawthorn, grape seed extract, cranberry. I've been taking it for months now. It thins the blood (flows better when drawn) but other than that...nada.
 

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
But Jody....I like green tea! :)

Martin Pall's protocol includes "Flavinox" which includes green tea extract at 80mg per capsule.
It's got a lot of other stuff in there, milk thistle, ginkgo, hawthorn, grape seed extract, cranberry. I've been taking it for months now. It thins the blood (flows better when drawn) but other than that...nada.

Do you Tony? How nice for you. :rolleyes:

Must be an Australian thing ...:D

Well Cort, 2 for 2, neither Michelle or Tony have noticed a change. Of course, green tea could be like a lot of other supplements where the change is so subtle that it takes many months to notice anything but perhaps it is actually making a difference. Hard to know.
 

Cort

Phoenix Rising Founder
Right - just because it works in tired mice doesn't mean anything. Just because lifts healthy peoples energy doesn't mean anything either. It's amazing how many things there that are chock full of goodness that don't have any effect at all.

I went for about 15 years without getting any effect from anything and then I tried zinc solution - and it worked! After that most things worked strangely enough - for a short period of time.
 

Victoria

Senior Member
Messages
1,377
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Jody,

Liking green tea may not necessarily be an Australian thing.

I don't like it either, but have organic green tea in my kitchen cupboard for anyone who does like it.

Tony,

since you live in Melbourne, I can highly recomment Planet organic herbal teas (grown in Queensland). I find them very refreshing & the flavours fairly subtle & true to herb flavour. I drink Chamomile every day (not more than 4 cups). In fact when I run out of Chamomile & can't always get it, I notice after about 7-10 days I get very irritable & generally "out of sorts". I've been drinking chamomile tea for about 25 years & genuinely think this has a calming, sedative, digestive therapeutic effect. But it was only a few years ago that I discovered the Planet brand. Some of the German imported chamomile teas remind me of my childhood holidays on the farm cleaning out the cowsheds (which I find a little offputting).

Planet's lemongrass tea is also very subtle & refreshing.

Michelle,

I read your comments about the green tea extract (capsules) with interest. Did you notice any other effect beside the cholesterol lowering?

Victoria
 

Tony

Still working on it all..
Messages
363
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hi Victoria

I'm a fan of camomile too, which I drink at night. I came to it some years ago after deciding to lower the caffeine input even more. I swap between green tea and decaf green tea, no coffee.
Thanks for the Planet tip. I think my local market stocks it.

Cheers
Tony...:)
 

Charles555nc

Senior Member
Messages
572
I try drinking organic green tea, but I get alot of nerve pain (autoimmune?) and so I only drink it once a week.