08.11.2017 · 👁 2,149
Scientists have discovered why tea is healthier for women than coffee
Substances contained in tea affect the activity of genes associated with the development of cancer and the metabolism of female sex hormones. No such effect was found in coffee.
The results of the study, conducted by scientists from Uppsala University (Sweden), were published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
It is known that environmental factors, such as food, water, smoking, and atmospheric composition, can cause changes in gene activity. Such changes are called epigenetic. Swedish researchers decided to test whether tea and coffee consumption leads to epigenetic changes. The fact is that, as previous studies have shown, the biologically active substances contained in these drinks reduce the risk of various serious diseases, helping to suppress the growth of tumors and reduce the level of inflammation in the body.
To do this, scientists conducted genomic studies of more than three thousand men and women of European descent. It turned out that tea causes epigenetic changes only in women, but not in men. Moreover, most of these changes affect the activity of genes associated with the development of cancer and the metabolism of the female sex hormone estrogen. At the same time, coffee has not been found to induce epigenetic changes.
As the authors of the study note, the beneficial effects of tea on the female body can be explained by precisely this directed influence of the biologically active substances catechins it contains on the “switching on” and “switching off” of specific genes. However, in order to definitively answer this question, further research is required.