One of the inviolable laws that govern biological events is ageing. Man has been interested in increasing the life span of human & to some extent it has been possible by controlling & curing many diseases. With the success of science, few additional years have been added in human's life & man is trying to approach in its maximum age limit. "The science that studies biological causes of ageing is called Gerontology".
The life cycle is a period from birth to death. Average life cycle of woman is longer than man while biological process of ageing is faster in human male than the human female. During the growth period, new cells are formed faster then the rate of death of old cells. But after the maximum growth, the metabolic rate declines & rate of formation of new cells is lower than the rate of death of old cells. So the repair of damaged cells is not complete & detereoting process starts. In human being, it starts after the age of 30 years. It is therefore; biologically human body becomes functionally less efficient from the age of 30 years onward by about 0.8% every year. So the age of 30 years is a turning point in the process of human development.
So" Ageing is the process of slow deteriotion in the structure & function of body cells, tissues & organs of human body & starts after the adult-hood."
Characteristics of Ageing:
1. Metabolic rate gradually declines.
2. Capacity to replace & repairing of worn-out cells gets reduced.
3. Resistance power & adaptability gradually decreases.
4. Bones start becoming weak.
5. Some vital organs like heart, brain, kidney, lungs etc do not function properly.
6. Later on, cognitive impairment may appear. (The disease in which ability to think, remember & concentrate mind is lowered).
7. Different signs in skin may appear such as:
- Fine lines & wrinkles.
- Sagging skin.]
- Age spots.
- Dull skin.
- Dryness etc.
- One of the main causes of ageing is the action of lipid peroxide. Lipid peroxide is produced by the action of free radical on low density lipid (LDL).
I.e. FR+LDL= LIPID PEROXIDE
According to Professor Takuo Okada of Japan, EGCG & vitamin E of green tea can restrict the formation of lipid peroxide by trapping free radicals & hence slow the ageing & degeneration process. EGCG of green tea has been found to be more than 20 times powerful in this respect than vitamin E.
- Appearance of different signs in skin such as fine lines, wrinkles, age spots etc is mainly due to the damage caused by free radicals. Ultra-violet rays of sun, stress et boost up the activities of free radicals. Powerful anti-oxidant capacity of green tea's catechins removes the free radicals & hence slows down ageing process such that persons appear young.
- Dr. Shinichi Kuriyama & friends of Tokohu University of Japan found that amount of green tea consumed was inversely related with tha risk of having cognitive impairment in the ageing process.
--Kuriyama s>, Hozawa A. & friends.
(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition-2006)
- A study done by the University of Arizona (USA) suggested that EGCG of green tea is a powerful source of anti-oxidant which helps to remain young. Skin ageing is the result of free radical damage to cell walls & other cell structures. Sun exposure & cigarette smoking contribute to the production of these free radicals. Anti-Oxidants, on the other hand, are the molecules that neutralize the free radicals as a result of which ageing process slows down.
- Blood sugar tends to increase with age & accelerates ageing process. Green tea lowers serum glucose levels & thus prevents people from early ageing.
IMMUNE SYSTEM & HIV PROTECTION
Immunity is defined as the ability of the body to resist with disease. Thus, it is a defense system of our body against disease & disease causing germs.
When a pathogen enters into the human body, pathogen releases a toxic chemical to destroy the human defense system. This toxic substance is called "Antigen". Similarly, human blood also defends themselves against & destroys that antigen by releasing a very specific chemical. This chemical is called "Antibody". This whole process of resistance of our body against disease & injury is said to be IMMUNE SYSTEM.
White blood cells (WBC) or leucocytes act as soldiers, scavengers & protect the body against disease, Hence, WBC are the main components of our defense system. In HIV AIDS patients, this defense (immune) system becomes very weak or does not work, such that the person possesses a very high chance of getting attacked by any of the disease causing germs. Thus, HIV patients die off because of weak immune system.
- Researchers from the Tokyo Food Techno Co. Ltd. of Japan recently found that tea catechins can help the body ward off infection & disease. Besides these, tea also strengthens the immune system of the body.
--Prof. Yokihito Hara & Friends.
(Anti-viral Research Vol.21)
- Researchers of Harvard Medical School, USA, have found that drinking green tea increases the immunity of the body to fight against several infections. A vital component in tea called L-Thiamine appears to prepare the immure system to fight invading bacteria, viruses & fungi. Tea contains the vitamins thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine, manganese, potassium & zinc; all of which make the body strong & high resistant to the disease causing germs.
- A recent Chinese study at the Institute of Medical Bio-technology ion Beijing found that green tea catechins in general could inhibit several types of viruses including HIV-1 viruses.
- A study performed by the Laboratory of Viral Oncology in Nagoya, Japan, found that two catechins present in green tea, Epigallo catechin gallate (EGCG) & Epi-catechin gallate ECg) were able to differentially inhibit the enzymes used by the HIV virus for replication: reverse transcriptase & various DNA/RNA polymerases.
- Researchers at the University of Sheffield, UK, have found that green tea catechin, EGCG, has a high affinity for binding to the CD4 molecule on T-cells, the very place where the HIV-1 glycoprotein 120 binds. By taking up the space on the target cell surface where the virus would attach itself, EGCG may exert a protective effect against HIV infection. The researchers concluded that EGCG has potential use as adjunctive therapy in HIV-1 infection".
--Williamson MP; Nance CL & Friends
(J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006, 118/6)
- Dr. Jack Bukowski of Brigham & Women's Hospital, USA has found that green tea containing high concentrations of an amino acid called l-thiamine may help strengthen the body immune system response when fighting off infection. He suggests that L-theanine especially boosts the capacity of Gamma Delta T-cells, the body's first line of defense against infection.
- Since 1989, HIV Prevention Research Center has shown that green tea has anti-HIV activity & also blocks HIV entry into T-cells.
