Beauty Health for Life

Red wine and green and white tea could give athletes and players a boost in the sports arena by increasing the amount of performance-enhancing hormone testosterone in their bodies, according to researchers from Londons Kingston University.

However not only could the beverages help them to trophy success, it could also allow them to beat anti-doping tests. A team led by Professor Declan Naughton, from the Universitys School of Life Sciences, found that and green and white tea might reduce the amount of testosterone excreted by the body, which could distort the findings of drug tests taken from urine samples.

Testosterone is a naturally-occurring steroid hormone present in both men and women. It can increase muscle mass, boost stamina and speed up recovery. Sportspeople, however, are prohibited from taking it, or a synthetic version of it, to try to gain a competitive edge.

Although red wine is not a banned substance away from the sports field, Professor Naughtons team has erred its findings to the World Anti-Doping Agency because of the newly-discovered side effect of potential change to the amount of testosterone in the body.

"Previous research has shown the effect over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs can have on enzymes," Professor Naughton explained. "Since many of these drugs are derived from plants, we decided to look at the effect particular foods and beverages can have on enzymes involved in testosterone excretion. We chose green tea and then red wine because both have a huge variety of natural molecules and we wanted to see if they affected the amount of testosterone excreted in urine."

"The catechins stop enzymes tagging molecules for excretion so the kidneys dont recognise them as needing to be removed and leave them circulating in the body," Professor Naughton explained. "We found that green and white tea could inhibit the enzyme by about 30 per cent. The levels of catechins in a strong cup of green tea matched those we used in our experiments."

The increased levels of testosterone from drinking green and white teas may provide a boost. "Its like having extra testosterone without actually taking any," Professor Naughton said. "By not excreting it from the body, athletes could potentially increase their testosterone levels for improved performance.

The team found that a compound in red wine, known as quercetin, partially blocked the action of an enzyme called UGT2B17, which looks for testosterone and then sends a message to the kidneys to excrete it.

Professor Naughton stressed that the research had so far been conducted in test tube experiments and had yet to be trialled on humans. "A full clinical study would be needed to determine the effects on people but, if the same results were found, it would confirm that compounds in red wine can reduce the amount of testosterone in urine and give a boost to testosterone levels," he explained.

The effect of red wine on an individual would vary because of factors such as weight, fitness, health and diet, making it hard to estimate how much was needed to improve performance, Professor Naughton said.

Teetotallers are not exempt from the effects. In fact, the alcohol content of red wine has very little impact because non-alcoholic molecules are responsible for inhibiting testosterone excretion.

The team also found the results were the same for red wine extract in supplement form. The active compounds such as quercetin are found in many foodstuffs as well as supplements.

The findings have been published in leading international journal Nutrition.

Scientists reported new evidence today that a component of egg whites — already popular as a substitute for whole eggs among health-conscious consumers concerned about cholesterol in the yolk — may have another beneficial effect in reducing blood pressure. Their study was part of the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds largest scientific society, which continues here through Thursday.

"Our research suggests that there may be another reason to call it the incredible, edible egg," said study leader Zhipeng Yu, Ph.D., of Jilin University. "We have evidence from the laboratory that a substance in egg white — its a peptide, one of the building blocks of proteins — reduces blood pressure about as much as a low dose of Captopril, a high-blood-pressure drug."

Yu and colleagues, who are with Clemson University, used a peptide called RVPSL. Scientists previously discovered that the substance, like the family of medications that includes Captopril, Vasotec and Monopril, was an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. It has a powerful ability to inhibit or block the action of ACE, a substance produced in the body that raises blood pressure.

They set out to further document RVPSLs effects, using laboratory rats that develop high blood pressure and are stand-ins for humans in such early research on hypertension. The results of feeding the substance were positive, showing that RVPSL did not have apparent toxic effects and lowered blood pressure by amounts comparable to low doses of Captopril.

"Our results support and enhance previous findings on this topic," Yu said. "They were promising enough to move ahead with further research on the effects of the egg white peptide on human health."

Yu noted that the research was done with a version of the peptide that was heated to almost 200 degrees Fahrenheit during preparation — less than the temperatures typically used to cook eggs. He cited evidence from other research, however, that egg whites may retain their beneficial effects on blood pressure after cooking.

One, for instance, published in the ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed that fried egg protein, cooked at high temperatures, actually showed greater ability to reduce blood pressure than eggs boiled at 212 degrees F.

Yu believes that egg white peptides, either in eggs or as a supplement, could become useful as an adjunct to high-blood-pressure medication. For now, he said people with high blood pressure should consult their health care provider before making any changes.

And he noted that findings about egg white and high blood pressure add to the emerging nutritional image of eggs. Once regarded as a food to avoid in a healthy diet, studies in recent years have concluded that many people can eat eggs without raising their blood cholesterol levels, benefiting from an inexpensive food low in calories and rich in protein, vitamins and other nutrients.