Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 20, Issue 24, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20246196
Keywords
tea; Camellia sinensis; phytochemicals; catechins; health benefits; bioavailability; safety
Funding
- National Key R&D Program of China [2018YFC1604400]
- Shanghai Basic and Key Program [18JC1410800]
- Technology Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ASTIP)
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Tea is widely consumed all over the world. Generally, tea is divided into six categories: White, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark teas, based on the fermentation degree. Tea contains abundant phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, pigments, polysaccharides, alkaloids, free amino acids, and saponins. However, the bioavailability of tea phytochemicals is relatively low. Thus, some novel technologies like nanotechnology have been developed to improve the bioavailability of tea bioactive components and consequently enhance the bioactivity. So far, many studies have demonstrated that tea shows various health functions, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immuno-regulatory, anticancer, cardiovascular-protective, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and hepato-protective effects. Moreover, it is also considered that drinking tea is safe to humans, since reports about the severe adverse effects of tea consumption are rare. In order to provide a better understanding of tea and its health potential, this review summarizes and discusses recent literature on the bioactive components, bioavailability, health functions, and safety issues of tea, with special attention paid to the related molecular mechanisms of tea health functions.
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