Polyphenol in tea - health benefits

Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants. The name polyphenol comes from the fact that there is more than one phenol group per molecule.

Polyphenols in the Japanese diet
Coffee and green tea as a large source of antioxidant polyphenols in the Japanese population.
J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Feb 25 Fukushima Y, Ohie T, Yonekawa Y, Yonemoto K, Aizawa H, Mori Y, Watanabe M, Takeuchi M, Hasegawa M, Taguchi C, Kondo K.
Nestle Research Center, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, CH-1000 Lausanne 26, Switzerland.
Food and beverages rich in polyphenols with antioxidant activity are highlighted as a potential factor for risk reduction of lifestyle related diseases. This study was conducted to elucidate total polyphenol consumption from beverages in Japanese people. Total polyphenol contents in beverages were measured. A beverage consumption survey was conducted in the Tokyo and Osaka areas in 2004. Concentration of polyphenols in coffee, green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, barley tea, fruit juice, tomato/vegetable juice, and cocoa drinks were at 200, 115, 96, 39, 9, 34, 69, and 62 mg/100 mL, respectively. Total consumption of beverages in a Japanese population was 1.11 L/day, and polyphenol contents from beverages was 853 mg/day. Coffee and green tea shared 50% and 34% of total polyphenol consumption in beverages, respectively, and contribution of each of the other beverages was less than 10%. total polyphenol contents in 20 major vegetables and 5 fruits were 0-49 mg and 2-55 mg/100 g, respectively. Beverages, especially coffee, contributed to a large share of the consumption of polyphenols, as antioxidants, in the Japanese diet.

Green Tea Extract, 100 mg, yielding 35 mg EGCG

Green Tea Extract offers a convenient way to get the benefits of green tea polyphenols in a highly concentrated green tea pill form.  This green tea extract is standardized for bioflavonoid-like antioxidants known as polyphenols, particularly Epigallocatechin Gallate EGCG which has been found in scientific studies to be a potent antioxidant. Green tea antioxidants are likely to become more popular with time.

Supplement Facts
Green Tea Extract Yielding 35 mg epigallocatechin gallate EGCG

Click here to buy Green Tea polyphenols

Polyphenol in food
Good sources of polyphenols include tea, coffee, berries, grapes, wine, olive oil, cacao or cocoa, walnuts, and many fruits and vegetables. High levels of polyphenols can generally be found in the fruit skins.

Polyphenol in green tea
The major polyphenol in green tea is EGCG.

Polyphenol antioxidant
Apple polyphenol

Benefit for cardiovascular health
Nutritional improvement of the endothelial control of vascular tone by polyphenols: role of NO and EDHF.
Pflugers Arch. 2010 Mar 12. Schini-Kerth VB, Auger C, Kim JH, Etienne-Selloum N, Chataigneau T. UMR CNRS 7213, Laboratoire de Biophotonique et Pharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, 74, route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France,
Numerous studies indicate that regular intake of polyphenol-rich beverages (red wine and tea) and foods (chocolate, fruit, and vegetables) is associated with a protective effect on the cardiovascular system in humans and animals. Beyond the well-known antioxidant properties of polyphenols, several other mechanisms have been shown to contribute to their beneficial cardiovascular effects. Indeed, both experimental and clinical studies indicate that polyphenols improve the ability of endothelial cells to control vascular tone. Experiments with isolated arteries have shown that polyphenols cause nitric oxide (NO)-mediated endothelium-dependent relaxations and increase the endothelial formation of NO. The polyphenol-induced NO formation is due to the redox-sensitive activation of the phosphatidylinositol3-kinase/Akt pathway leading to endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activation subsequent to its phosphorylation on Ser 1177. Besides the phosphatidylinositol3-kinase/Akt pathway, polyphenols have also been shown to activate eNOS by increasing the intracellular free calcium concentration and by activating estrogen receptors in endothelial cells. In addition to causing a rapid and sustained activation of eNOS by phosphorylation, polyphenols can increase the expression level of eNOS in endothelial cells leading to an increased formation of NO. Moreover, the polyphenol-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation also involves endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor, besides NO, in several types of arteries. Altogether, polyphenols have the capacity to improve the endothelial control of vascular tone not only in several experimental models of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension but also in healthy and diseased humans. Thus, these experimental and clinical studies highlight the potential of polyphenol-rich sources to provide vascular protection in health and disease.