In a rat model, Hong Kong scientists have shown that powerful antioxidants in green tea can penetrate the eye, raising the possibility that the tea may help protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases that may be related to oxidative stress. The authors point out that so-called green tea "catechins" have been among a number of antioxidants thought capable of protecting the eye. Until now, however, nobody knew if the catechins in green tea actually passed from the stomach and gastrointestinal tract into the tissues of the eye. In this new research, the scientists resolved this uncertainty in experiments with laboratory rats that drank green tea. Analysis of eye tissues showed beyond a doubt that eye structures absorbed significant amounts of individual catechins. The retina, for example, absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin. The effects of green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress in the eye lasted for up to 20 hours. "Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress," the report concluded. This new research was published on January 19, 2010 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, an American Chemical Society publication. [Press release] [JAFC abstract]Login Or Register To Read Full Story