(NaturalNews) Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the
U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It comes like a
silent thief, gradually stealing sight and usually providing no warning symptoms
in the early stages. But as the disease progresses, damage to the optic nerve
grows worse and side vision can gradually fail until there's only tunnel vision
left, and then no vision at all. Treatment with drugs and surgery may slow down
the eyesight deterioration but there's no cure. However, new research provides
evidence there's a natural way to prevent glaucoma from developing in the first
place -- drink green tea regularly.
A
study just published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry concludes that phytochemicals found in green
tea actually penetrate deeply into tissues of the eyes. This is the first report
to document how the lens, retina and other parts of the eye absorb the powerful
antioxidants and disease-fighting substances found in green tea and it strongly
raises the possibility that green tea can prevent glaucoma as well as other eye
diseases and conditions.
Scientist Chi Pui Pang, Ph.D., of the department of ophthalmology and
visual sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his colleagues
pointed out in a statement to the press that green tea contains flavonoids known
as catechins that are thought to protect the eyes. But until now, there was
doubt that catechins could pass through the stomach and gastrointestinal tract
and end up in eye tissues. However, in experiments with laboratory rats,
the scientists showed conclusively that after green tea is consumed,
structures in the eye absorb sight-protecting green tea
catechins.
When the scientists analyzed the eye tissues of the animals used in their
study, they discovered that various eye structures had absorbed significant
amounts of individual catechins. For instance, the retina took in the highest
levels of a catechin known as gallocatechin and the aqueous humor (a
thick watery substance that fills the space between the lens and the cornea)
soaked up another green tea phytochemical dubbed
epigallocatechin.
Bottom line: green tea catechins reduced harmful oxidative stress in the
eyes that is linked to glaucoma and other eye diseases. What's more, the
protective effect lasted up to 20 hours.
As
regular readers of NaturalNews are aware, this good news about green tea is one
more example of a host of scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last
few years showing that drinking green tea is a powerful natural way to protect
health. For example, researchers have found that green tea has the potential to
prevent and treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect millions
throughout the world (http://www.naturalnews.com/027194_g...). Phytochemicals
in green tea also show promise in preventing and treating serious brain
disorders like Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases (http://www.naturalnews.com/027757_g...).
Editor's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in
medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in
protest of the way in which they were acquired.
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