Green Tea blocks HIV, test showed!
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The antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in green tea may block HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from attaching to an important molecule on immune system cells.
The lab tests were done by Christina Nance, PhD, and colleagues. Nance works in Houston, at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. It should be pointed out that the findings are based on laboratory tests done on human blood cells, not people. |
Nance's team wanted to see if EGCG, a chemical found in green tea, might block HIV from attaching to the immune system's T-helper cells, thus protecting those T cells from HIV's damage. T-helper cells act as a "general" in directing and activating other immune cells in the fight against HIV.
The results show that EGCG might indeed help do that. It's not yet clear if the findings will have meaning beyond the lab. HIV has proven to be crafty against many different attempts to thwart it from latching onto immune system cells.
The test results were presented in Canada at the North American Research Conference on Complementary & Alternative Medicine, held in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada. |
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