Green Tea And The Prevention Of Arthritis

All over the world there is a growing interest in using botanicals as part of a complementary strategy to manage or prevent the onset of arthritis and other chronic diseases. Amongst the agents of plant origin that are under rigorous evaluation, green tea has gained attention due to its established anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this chapter, we have attempted to summarize critically the socio-economic impact of arthritis, with the focus on osteoarthritis (OA), limitations of the current treatment modalities and the emerging role of green tea in OA and, where appropriate, for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), treatment/prevention with reference to its historical importance and use, present research status and its mechanism of action. A survey of the published studies also suggests that consumption of green tea may be beneficial in inhibiting OA progression, as polyphenols present in green tea inhibit the production of catabolic mediators implicated in the progression of both RA and OA, both in vitro and in animal models. Thus it is safe to conclude that consumption of green tea may have beneficial health effects, including prevention of OA and inhibiting its progression in affected individuals.