González de Mejía Elvira
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2003 Jun;53(2):111-8.
Tea has been consumed worldwide since ancient times to maintain and improve health. Its main active components are a type of polyphenols known as flavonoids, which include catechins and theaflavins. Several epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of green tea could prevent cancer development in humans. Likewise, animal studies have shown that green tea consumption may inhibit the development of prostate and breast cancer. It has been shown that, through several mechanisms, tea polyphenols present antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activities, thus affording several health benefits. It is important to better characterize tea components, to study their bio-availability and bio-transformation in vivo and to conduct clinical studies of its main active compounds.
自古以来，茶就在全球范围内被人们饮用，以维持和改善健康。其主要活性成分是一类被称为黄酮类化合物的多酚，其中包括儿茶素和茶黄素。多项流行病学研究表明，饮用绿茶可能预防人类癌症的发生。同样，动物研究表明，饮用绿茶可能抑制前列腺癌和乳腺癌的发展。研究表明，茶多酚通过多种机制具有抗氧化和抗癌活性，从而带来多种健康益处。更好地表征茶的成分、研究其在体内的生物利用度和生物转化，并对其主要活性化合物进行临床研究非常重要。
