Studies on prevention of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer by tea

Chung Shu Yang*, Hong Wang, Zachary Paul Sheridan

Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020, USA

Tea, a popular beverage made from leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis, has been studied extensively in recent decades for its beneficial health effects in the prevention of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Whereas these beneficial effects have been convincingly demonstrated in most laboratory studies, results from human studies have not been consistent. Some studies demonstrated that weight reduction, alleviation of metabolic syndrome and risk reduction in diabetes were only observed in individuals who consume 3–4 cups of tea (600–900 mg tea catechins) or more daily. This chapter reviews some of these studies, the possible mechanisms of actions of tea constituents, and the challenges in extrapolating laboratory studies to human situations.

Keywords: Cancer, Diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Polyphenols