4th January, 2008: A Juicy Story… Citrus Juice Combined with Green Tea Enhances Antioxidant Absorption
New research, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, suggests that combining citrus juice or vitamin C with green tea or green tea extract could increase the absorption of antioxidants found in tea by as much as 13 times. The reason for this is that citrus juice and vitamin C appear to interact with catechins to prevent break down in the intestines. Among other health benefits, catechins (tea’s antioxidants) are believed to be responsible for reducing the risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke. According to Mario Ferruzzi, who led the study at Purdue University, catechins are relatively unstable in non-acidic environments, such as the intestines, and less than 20 per cent of the total remains after digestion. In fact, Ferruzzi found that citrus juice increased absorbable catechins by more than five times and vitamin C by anywhere from six to thirteen times.
So pass the OJ to get a boost…a boost in the health benefits of green tea that is! Stayed tuned as more research is ongoing…
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am |
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