Off-id

TEA, as highly touted, is good for digestion. It is now very popular and the choice beverage for health-conscious
individuals. But the cola-loving Filipino race did not bite–or should one say, sip?–at first. Until an enterprising company re-introduced tea as a refreshing and healthy drink. The product became an instant hit and became a popular thirst-quenching drink.

Soon enough, other brands followed and even came out with a sugar-free variety for the figure-conscious. Other flavors emerged, from oolong to black tea to chamomile,etc.

Tea, especially the green variety, is good for one’s health because of its flavanoid components.  A study in Japan among 40-year old male subject reports that those who regularly drank green tea had lower total cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol and a higher level of good cholesterol.

Another study on Norwegian men and women showed that as tea consumption increased, total cholesterol level went down. Since tea, to a degree, blocks the absorption of dietary cholesterol, it is safe to assume that tea-drinkers have lower incidence of coronary heart disease.

The polyphenols in green tea have also been theorized to boost the immune system, giving the individuals drinking it a higher resistance to diseases in general.

These so-called polyphenols are natural phytochemicals found in tea leaves, most fruits and vegetables, and in vitamins and minerals. Aside from tea also being an antioxidant that deactivates the free radicals in our body, other benefits include its ability to prevent the destruction of DNA strands, inhibit abnormal cell reproduction that blocks the formation of cancer cells, and its ability to decrease the contact of cancer causing agents with the cells.

A successful randomized, double- blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 clinical trial using an intramyocardial injection of a patient’s own CD34 stem cells as treatment for refractory angina was performed at 22 centers across the United States, showing promising results.

Initially, pre-clinical studies provided evidence that a patient’s own CD34+ stem cells (CD34), could stimulate new vessel formation in those patients suffering from ischemic myocardium. Consequently, a phase 1, first-in-human trial was completed providing even further evidence of feasibility, safety and increased bioactivity in those patients with CCS class 3 and 4 angina. The phase 2 study, designed to test the ability of a patient’s own stem cells (CD34 cells) to improve blood flow to the heart, could show the ability to improve heart function and reduce the possibility of events such as hospitalizations and heart failure in patients with refractory angina. A total of 167 patients were randomized and completed the injection procedure, and 162 patients completed the six-month evaluation.

“The results from this study provide the first significant evidence that a patient’s own stem cells can actually be used as a treatment for their heart disease:’ said Dr. Douglas Losordo, lead author from Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. “This study provides some hope for those patients with currently untreatable angina to be more active with less pain.

As a phase 2 study this program indicates how this strategy can be executed on a large scale at sites across the country. A program of this size has never been done in any stem cell cardiac study and is critically important if such a therapy is going to be effectively delivered.

It also provides information about appropriate endpoints regarding suitability and sample size of this therapy for a phase 3 efficacy study, the final study that will ultimately determine if the treatment works.