(Newswire.net — October 9, 2015) — Different studies show that milk may prevent benefits of tea and coffee. I thought this may be due to calcium or a protein. So I did some research to find out, so I could help to advise people of dietary choices. It turns out that casein cancels out the positive effects of polyphenols such as catechins, in tea and probably in coffee as well.
Polyphenols are very important substances found in plants that we eat or ingest in drinks. They have many anti-inflammatory properties and are power antioxidants. They can even help with synergistic benefits of improving the effects of omega 3. Clinical studies indicate that tea exerts protection against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other medical problems. It is not clear whether the addition of milk interferes with the biological activities and benefits of tea. Researchers have studied the vascular effects of tea, with or without milk, and in humans and they tested the impact of individual milk proteins in cell culture experiments, including with rat aorta (blood vessels) and by tests like HPLC analysis.
Evidence for findings
Sixteen healthy female volunteers consumed either freshly brewed black tea, black tea with 10% skimmed milk, or boiled water as control in this study: The addition of milk prevents vascular protective effects of tea according to a study in the European Heart Journal in January 2007 by Mario Lorenz, Nicoline Jochmann, Amélie von Krosigk, Peter Martus, Gert Baumann, Karl Stangl, Verena Stangl. Black tea significantly improved FMD in humans compared with water used as a control. The addition of milk completely interfered with the benefits of tea. To further support these findings, added
experiments were performed in rat aortic rings and cells that line the blood vessels called endothelial cells.
Tea induced a relaxation and opening of the blood vessels and also increased the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase by phosphorylation of the enzyme in vascular endothelial cells, which means this mechanism helps with blood flow.
Milk blocked the benefits when added to the tea
The benefits were completely inhibited by the addition of milk to tea. Of the various kinds of milk proteins, the caseins accounted for these inhibiting effects of milk, probably this is caused by the formation of complexes with tea catechins. Other studies show that there are other proteins that form complexes with these antioxidants as well. We are working to study these complex reactions to know what the optimal dietary recommendations for each individual are and for optimal health benefits and what are some possible substitutes for dairy products used in coffee (cream or milk). This may include almond and coconut milk with have additional health benefits as well. Dairy products containing the protein called caseins may well prevent other health benefits as well.
About the Author
Dr. Buckman is the Chief Medical Officer of Viratech Corp, Viratech, Corp. (OTC: VIRA), a software company focusing on developing disruptor based applications in the communication broadcasting, work flow management, crowd sourced labor and biotechnology fields. Dr. Buckman has over 39 years of Health Care Experience in a variety of areas of medicine, including research. Dr. Buckman has presented research, published articles and books in the field of medicine, and has given lectures at numerous hospitals and at Medical Conferences. During the last 35 years he has worked to advance a number of medical technologies with a focus on Non-Harmful early detection of disease, with a primary focus on Breast Cancer and Diabetes. He is currently serving on the Industry