Drinking green tea helps relieve symptoms of uterine fibroids

epigallocatechin gallate (epigallocatechin 3-gallate, EGCG)

 

　A study has shown that epigallocatechin gallate (epigallocatechin 3-gallate, EGCG), a strong antioxidant found in green tea, helps alleviate symptoms of uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are so common that they occur in one in three women over the age of 30 and originate in the smooth muscle that makes up the uterus. 　James Segas, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the U.S., and his team cultured uterine fibroid cells from patients with fibroids in test tubes and exposed them to EGCG, an antioxidant component of green tea. The team observed how EGCG affected the expression of proteins associated with the extracellular matrix. In particular, they concentrated on fibronectin, a major extracellular matrix protein; cyclin D1, a protein involved in cell division; and connective tissue growth factor. The research team then compared and analyzed whether protein values differed between uterine myoma cells exposed to EGCG and cells not exposed to EGCG. 　The study found that fibronectin was reduced by 46-52% in uterine fibroid cells exposed to EGCG, an antioxidant component of green tea; connective tissue growth factor protein was reduced by 86% in EGCG-exposed fibroid cells compared to cells not exposed to EGCG. The team explained that this is indicative of the fact that EGCG disrupts signaling pathways that promote cell growth in uterine fibroid cells and especially in the extracellular matrix. 　This study is another piece of evidence that EGCG may inhibit the growth of uterine fibroid cells," the team commented, "We will determine the appropriate dosage of catechins and observe side effects through additional large-scale clinical trials. 　The study was recently published in the international journal Scientific Reports.

 

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3eabbe1b2d0a176397a84b09b18201527ea3dc62

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%A1%E9%A3%9F%E5%AD%90%E9%85%B8%E3%82%A8%E3%83%94%E3%82%AC%E3%83%AD%E3%82%AB%E3%83%86%E3%82%AD%E3%83%B3