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Green tea: A novel functional food for the oral health of older adults
Author(s) -
Gaur Sumit,
Agnihotri Rupali
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12194
Subject(s) - medicine , green tea , functional food , herb , periodontitis , cancer , antimicrobial , catechin , oral health , polyphenol , traditional medicine , food science , dentistry , antioxidant , medicinal herbs , biology , biochemistry , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology
Functional foods are foods with positive health effects that extend beyond their nutritional value. They affect the function of the body and help in the management of specific health conditions. Green tea, a time‐honoured C hinese herb, might be regarded as a functional food because of its inherent anti‐oxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial and antimutagenic properties. They are attributed to its reservoir of polyphenols, particularly the catechin, epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate. Owing to these beneficial actions, this traditional beverage was used in the management of chronic systemic diseases including cancer. Recently, it has been emphasized that the host immuno‐inflammatory reactions destroy the oral tissues to a greater extent than the microbial activity alone. Green tea with its wide spectrum of activities could be a healthy alternative for controlling these damaging reactions seen in oral diseases, specifically, chronic periodontitis, dental caries and oral cancer, which are a common occurrence in the elderly population. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 238–250.