Benzene is an important industrial solvent which is used to make lubricants, dyes, detergents among other things… However, benzene exposure can have serious adverse health effects including bone marrow suppression, cancer, anemia, and high level exposure can result even in death.
This recent study demonstrates that green tea can reduce oxidative stress induced by benzene exposure. Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Atherosclerosis as well as aging.
“Workers exposed to benzene frequently suffer from toxicities of the bone marrow as well as the central nervous, immune, and reproductive systems. This toxicity most likely is a result of the oxidative metabolism of benzene to reactive products. As green tea possesses antioxidant effects, the objective of this study was to examine any amelioration of benzene-induced oxidative stress in pump workers drinking 6 cups (150 ml/cup) of freshly prepared tea daily. “
“These studies demonstrate that drinking green tea during benzene exposure can reduce several parameters indicative of oxidative stress. As such, as a dietary supplement, green tea could represent a potential therapeutic agent in reducing certain aspects of benzene-induced toxicity.”
Reference:
Emara AM, El-Bahrawy H. Green tea attenuates benzene-induced oxidative stress in pump workers. J Immunotoxicol. 2008 Jan;5(1):69-80.
2 Comments
June 5, 2008 at 12:44 am
[...] 4. Health benefits of gree tea. [...]
June 23, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Another amazing post. I knew green tea was amazing but I had never heard of benzene and the dangers of it. Another great reason for me to enjoy my green tea.