Benefits of black teaUseful properties, from helpFrom weight loss to reducing the risk of certain cancers and preventing Alzheimer's disease, its high content of antioxidants - polyphenols - has always been attributed to its effects. Green tea extract contains up to 30-40% water-soluble polyphenols, while black tea, which is obtained by fermentation, contains only 3-10%. The main polyphenols in fresh tea leaves are epigallocatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epicatechin. In a recent study led by Hui Cheng Lee at the National University of Singapore, scientists examined the effects of 31 phenolic compounds isolated from Chinese Yunnan tea on the growth of 28 species of bacteria inhabiting the digestive tract, including pathogenic, symbiotic and probiotic (involved in digestion). According to the results, phenolic compounds have an inhibitory effect on the growth of gastrointestinal microflora. The degree of inhibition depends on the type of bacteria and the structure of the compound. Tea polyphenols and their metabolites have the greatest suppression of pathogenic microorganisms Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Clostridium genera and strains of the Bacteroidaceae family. At the same time, the effect of polyphenols on the growth of probiotic bifido- and lactobacilli is minimal. The authors plan to continue their work on studying the effect of tea polyphenols on intestinal microflora and searching for possible ways to use the information obtained to improve human health and prevent diseases. They believe that an important result of their work is proof that antioxidants can simultaneously be prebiotics. Based on materials from FoodNavigator.
