Green Tea May Help Fight Glaucoma

A new research article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has discovered that some of the substances in green tea can work their way into the tissues of the eye and therefore could theoretically help fight eye diseases such as glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve is damaged, leading to progressive, irreversible loss of vision.

Scientists working on the issue in China did extensive experiments on lab rats that had been given green tea. Analysis of the rats eye tissues showed that eye structures absorbed significant amounts of catechins, the protective antioxidants found in the tea that include lutein and zeaxanthin.

The researchers found that the retina absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin. “Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” the report concluded.