Multiple sclerosis is a condition characterised by a weakness in the skeletal muscles. The causes of multiple sclerosis are not fully understood, but relate to an autoimmune condition of the nervous system that leads to a loss of the myelin sheath surrounding nerves. This results in an altered pattern of neuronal firing, which explains the loss of muscle strength and tone, as well as the excessive fatigue, that is one of the main symptoms of the disease. Drinking green tea has been shown to be beneficial to a number of neurodegenerative diseases, and use of green tea in mice models of multiple sclerosis suggest that green tea consumption reduces the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. One of the reasons for the benefits of green tea during exercise in those with multiple sclerosis may relate to the shift in metabolism that can be initiated by component of green tea. In particular, green tea may shift lipid metabolism in the short and long term and this may alter the pathogenesis of demyelination seen in multiple sclerosis.
One of the components of green tea that is suspected of producing the favourable lipid metabolism shift in multiple sclerosis is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a flavonoid belonging to the flavan-3-ol subcategory. Studies1 have investigated the effects of EGCG in human subjects with multiple sclerosis. Subjects were administered 600 mg per day of EGCG or a placebo for 12 weeks in a double blind fashion, and their metabolic responses to exercise were observed. The results of the study showed that EGCG caused a significantly different metabolic responses in men compared to women, when compared with their respective placebo groups. However, post-exercise energy expenditure increased working efficiency in men and women in the EGCG group compared to the placebo, but this increase was greater for men. These results suggest that EGCG, and possible green tea through extrapolation, may benefit those with multiple sclerosis, but that sex differences may exist in terms of overall benefits seen.
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