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So, how does tea affect your gut microbiome, and how does your gut microbiome affect the tea you ingest?
Notably, black and green teas increase beneficial bacteria and decrease pathogenic bacteria in mice with high blood sugar. So, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, here's yet another reason to drink tea. Moreover, EGCG from green tea has been shown to increase a beneficial microorganism associated with weight loss and metabolic health.
Interestingly, the bacteria in the gut also can beneficially affect the tea that you ingest. For example, gut bacteria have been shown to transform green tea polyphenols into forms that have increased antioxidant activity.
Drinking tea helps prevent cancer not only through tea's antioxidant compounds, but also by modulating the microbiome. For example, there is increased carcinogenic activity when oral bacteria colonize the gut. Green tea polyphenols inhibit oral bacteria from colonizing the gut, thus helping to prevent cancer.
Tea polyphenols also have antiviral properties. For example, tea ingestion aids in preventing cytokine storms, thus helping to block viral lung infections.
The bacteria in the gut also play a role in the anxiolytic effects of EGCG in the gut-brain axis.
Finally, EGCG increases liver antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity through the gut-liver axis.
These are just a few examples of the many ways in which tea is beneficial for your gut microbiome, and thus your health.
I hope you found this post to be informative and helpful.
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