Insights & Discussion
Green tea consumption has been found to be effective in preventing the contraction of influenza infections.
To identify the potential benefits of green tea in influenza prevention, a methodical review and combined analysis of eight distinct research studies involving 5,048 participants was completed. The effect of green tea catechin treatment was tested against control conditions and assessed based on infection rates. Five of these studies were randomized controlled trials involving 884 participants and three were cohort studies with 2,223 participants. Subgroups such as those who gargled or took orally ingested forms of green tea were also analyzed separately. Further to this, the possibility of publication biases was evaluated using Begg's and Egger's tests.
The results showed both the randomized trials and the cohort studies displayed significant preventative effects on influenza infection for those treated with green tea catechins. Notably, there was no evidence of non-uniformity within the data, reinforcing these findings. The pooled results of different consumption methods further supported these findings, showing no disparities among the subgroups. These results suggest the consumption of green tea has tangible prophylactic effects against influenza infection.
Discover Related Insights
Tea catechins, found in green tea, may reduce the rates of influenza infection and diminish certain cold symptoms.
2018 Molecules Effect of Tea Catechins on Influenza Infection and the Common Cold with a Focus on Epidemiological/Clinical Studies Furushima D, Ide K, Yamada H
Review Article Antiviral Common Cold Green Tea
The research methodology started with interpreting several experimental studies which reported that tea catechins can inhibit influenza viral adsorption and suppress replication and neuraminidase activity. These catechins were also found effective against some common cold viruses and helped to enhance immunity against such viral infections. Additionally, epidemiological studies conducted since the late 1990s were examined which suggested that regular consumption of green tea may decrease influenza infection rates and some cold symptoms, and gargling with tea catechin could potentially protect against the development of influenza infection.
For the discussion of results, the studies collectively showed that tea catechins have potential antiviral activity against influenza and some cold viruses. Although clinical evidence supporting these effects remained unconclusive, the review showed promising trends. The consumption of green tea and gargling with tea catechins could lead to potentially decreased rates of influenza infection and lessened cold symptoms according to the analyzed epidemiological studies.