Health Potential for Functional Green Teas?

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 275-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Boon

Obesity is a major health problem in the developed and developing world. Many “functional” foods and ingredients are advocated for their effects on body composition but few have consistent scientific support for their efficacy. However, an increasing amount of mechanistic and clinical evidence is building for green tea. The tea plant is naturally rich in a group of antioxidants known as catechins. Unlike black tea, green tea production involves little processing and fermentation and therefore, green tea brews are rich in catechins. Green tea has been suggested to have a number of potential health benefits in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, glucose homeostasis and dental health. Although there is some promising evidence in all of these areas, more data from human intervention trials are needed. A lot of attention has lately been focused on the beneficial effects of green tea on body composition and particularly visceral fat, which has been shown to have a strong link with different components of the metabolic syndrome such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Most, but not all, of the positive results come from a number Asian studies, in which overweight subjects (men and women) consumed green tea for approximately 12 weeks. Finally, green tea may also have measurable acute effects on energy metabolism and fat oxidation and in particular during physical activity, as evidenced by other studies specifically looking at these endpoints. Small cumulative effects on energy metabolism could also be responsible for the longer-tem effects of green tea on body composition, and these long-term effects may also be most apparent in the context of moderate physical activity. However, more research is needed to further clarify the exact mechanisms of action and to extrapolate these findings to non-Asian populations.

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ferrer ◽  
Xavier Capó ◽  
Miquel Martorell ◽  
Carla Busquets-Cortés ◽  
Cristina Bouzas ◽  
...  

A chronic inflammatory state is a major characteristic of the aging process, and physical activity is proposed as a key component for healthy aging. Our aim was to evaluate the body composition, hypertension, lipid profile, and inflammatory status of older adults, and these factors’ association with physical activity. A total of 116 elderly volunteers were categorized into terciles of quantitative metabolic equivalents of task (MET). Subjects in the first and third terciles were defined as sedentary and active subjects, respectively. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters, hemograms, and inflammatory markers were measured in plasma or peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs). The active groups exercised more than their sedentary counterparts. The practice of physical activity was accompanied by lower weight, fat mass, body mass index, and diastolic blood pressure when compared to a more sedentary life-style. Physical activity also lowered the haematocrit and total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. The practice of exercise induced a decrease in the IL-6 circulating levels and the TLR2 protein levels in PBMCs, while the expression of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 was activated in active subjects. The regular practice of physical activity exerts beneficial effects on body composition and the anti-inflammatory status of old people.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Koehler ◽  
Clemens Drenowatz

It is well established that healthy nutrition and physical activity (PA) are key lifestyle factors that modulate lifelong health through their ability to improve body composition, musculoskeletal health, and physical and cognitive performance, as well as to prevent metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease across the lifespan [...]


Author(s):  
Aina M. Galmes-Panades ◽  
Veronica Varela-Mato ◽  
Jadwiga Konieczna ◽  
Julia Wärnberg ◽  
Miguel Ángel Martínez-González ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study explored the association between inactive time and measures of adiposity, clinical parameters, obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome components. It further examined the impact of reallocating inactive time to time in bed, light physical activity (LPA) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on cardio-metabolic risk factors, including measures of adiposity and body composition, biochemical parameters and blood pressure in older adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2189 Caucasian men and women (age 55–75 years, BMI 27–40 Kg/m2) from the PREDIMED-Plus study (http://www.predimedplus.com/). All participants had ≥3 components of the metabolic syndrome. Inactive time, physical activity and time in bed were objectively determined using triaxial accelerometers GENEActiv during 7 days (ActivInsights Ltd., Kimbolton, United Kingdom). Multiple adjusted linear and logistic regression models were used. Isotemporal substitution regression modelling was performed to assess the relationship of replacing the amount of time spent in one activity for another, on each outcome, including measures of adiposity and body composition, biochemical parameters and blood pressure in older adults. Results Inactive time was associated with indicators of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Reallocating 30 min per day of inactive time to 30 min per day of time in bed was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (all p-values < 0.05). Reallocating 30 min per day of inactive time with 30 min per day of LPA or MVPA was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, total fat, visceral adipose tissue, HbA1c, glucose, triglycerides, and higher body muscle mass and HDL cholesterol (all p-values < 0.05). Conclusions Inactive time was associated with a poor cardio-metabolic profile. Isotemporal substitution of inactive time with MVPA and LPA or time in bed could have beneficial impact on cardio-metabolic health. Trial registration The trial was registered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial (ISRCTN: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870) with number 89898870 and registration date of 24 July 2014, retrospectively registered.


2003 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
KL Rennie ◽  
N McCarthy ◽  
S Yazdgerdi ◽  
M Marmot ◽  
E Brunner

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1826-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla T. Damsgaard ◽  
Stine-Mathilde Dalskov ◽  
Rikke P. Laursen ◽  
Christian Ritz ◽  
Mads F. Hjorth ◽  
...  

An increasing number of children are exhibiting features of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) including abdominal fatness, hypertension, adverse lipid profile and insulin resistance. Healthy eating practices during school hours may improve the cardiometabolic profile, but there is a lack of evidence. In the present study, the effect of provision of school meals rich in fish, vegetables and fibre on a MetS score (primary outcome) and on individual cardiometabolic markers and body composition (secondary outcomes) was investigated in 834 Danish school children. The study was carried out as a cluster-randomised, controlled, non-blinded, cross-over trial at nine schools. Children aged 8–11 years received freshly prepared school lunch and snacks or usual packed lunch from home (control) each for 3 months. Dietary intake, physical activity, cardiometabolic markers and body composition were measured at baseline and after each dietary period. The school meals did not affect the MetS score (P= 1·00). However, it was found that mean arterial pressure was reduced by 0·4 (95 % CI 0·0, 0·8) mmHg (P= 0·04), fasting total cholesterol concentrations by 0·05 (95 % CI 0·02, 0·08) mmol/l (P= 0·001), HDL-cholesterol concentrations by 0·02 (95 % CI 0·00, 0·03) mmol/l, TAG concentrations by 0·02 (95 % CI 0·00, 0·04) mmol/l (bothP< 0·05), and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance by 0·10 (95 % CI 0·04, 0·16) points (P= 0·001) compared with the control diet in the intention-to-treat analyses. Waist circumference increased 0·5 (95 % CI 0·3, 0·7) cm (P< 0·001), but BMIz-score remained unaffected. Complete-case analyses and analyses adjusted for household educational level, pubertal status and physical activity confirmed the results. In conclusion, the school meals did not affect the MetS score in 8–11-year-olds, as small improvements in blood pressure, TAG concentrations and insulin resistance were counterbalanced by slight undesired effects on waist circumference and HDL-cholesterol concentrations.


2006 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. R. Gill ◽  
Dalia Malkova

There is a considerable body of evidence gathered from studies over the past half a century indicating that a high level of physical activity and a moderately high or high degree of cardiorespiratory fitness reduces the risk of CVD (cardiovascular disease). Recent data suggest that high levels of physical activity or fitness may be particularly beneficial to individuals with insulin-resistant conditions, such as the metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes or obesity. These individuals, if unfit and sedentary, exhibit increased CVD risk, but their dose–response relationship for physical activity/fitness appears to be particularly steep such that, when they undertake high levels of activity (or have high fitness), their level of risk becomes closer to that of their normal weight or nondiabetic peers. This may be due to effects of physical activity in normalizing the metabolic dysfunction particularly associated with insulin-resistant conditions.


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