How green tea slows down a body enzyme
Enzymology of methylation of tea catechins and inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The methylated metabolites of EGCG are just as potent at inhibiting COMT as EGCG itself.
Typically, when the body metabolizes a compound, it becomes less active — but here, the ‘waste products’ are just as strong as the original.
Practical Takeaways
If you're sensitive to caffeine or stress hormones, consider spacing out green tea intake from stimulants or medications like L-DOPA.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The methylated metabolites of EGCG are just as potent at inhibiting COMT as EGCG itself.
Typically, when the body metabolizes a compound, it becomes less active — but here, the ‘waste products’ are just as strong as the original.
Practical Takeaways
If you're sensitive to caffeine or stress hormones, consider spacing out green tea intake from stimulants or medications like L-DOPA.
Publication
Journal
Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals
Year
2003
Authors
Hong Lu, Xiaofeng Meng, Chung S. Yang
Related Content
Claims (6)
The green tea compound EGCG slows down a body enzyme that normally breaks down adrenaline, so your adrenaline sticks around longer and might keep you feeling more alert.
When you drink green tea, your liver uses a special enzyme called COMT to change two of its key compounds—EGCG and EGC—into slightly different forms, and scientists have seen this happen in test tubes using liver fluid from humans, mice, and rats.
EGCG, a compound in green tea, sticks to the liver’s enzyme COMT much tighter than EGC, another tea compound—but once it’s stuck, it gets processed much more slowly.
A compound in green tea called EGCG, along with a couple of its modified versions, can strongly block an enzyme in your body that breaks down important chemicals like dopamine—so much so that it takes just a tiny amount to do the job.
When your body adds a sugar-like group to certain parts of the green tea compound EGCG, it can block another chemical change that would normally happen—but only if it’s added to specific spots. If it’s added to the right spot, the other change still works fine.