Black Tea Substance may Treat Bone Loss
Japanese researchers have found that a substance in black tea may be effective for treating osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle.
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The team, including Keizo Nishikawa, assistant professor at Osaka University, found that theaflavin-3, or TF-3, a substance in black tea, blocks an enzyme - DNA methyltransferase - that increases osteoclasts, cells that destroy bone tissues.
In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers said that after TF-3 was administered to mice suffering from osteoporosis, their bone volume recovered to levels similar to those of normal mice. If the experimental conditions are applied to humans, however, a person weighing 60 kg would need to drink 60 cups of black tea every three days, 'The Japan Times' reported.
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The discovery may pave the way for development of teas or supplement foods containing a large amount of TF-3. However, Nishikawa said that products using TF- 3 may have very bitter taste because it is a type of catechin, a bittering agent. PTI