Drinking a Matcha latte or green tea could ‘effectively inactivate’ Covid?
Joe Pinkstone
Sat, 7 October 2023 at 7:08 pm GMT+7·2-min read
Drinking a trendy Matcha latte or a green tea could “effectively inactivate” Covid, according to new research.
Chemicals in the drink bind to the spike protein sticking out from the surface of the virus and stop it from infecting cells, analysis showed.
Scientists from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan had previously investigated the role of these tea-based molecules, called EGCG and TFDG, on older Covid strains and found the link.
But analysis of Omicron sub-lineages of Covid, which are now the dominant strains in the UK and globally, found the mutations of the virus have made black tea and similar drinks even more effective as a Covid-fighting remedy.
“Here we show that Omicron subvariants were effectively inactivated by green tea, Matcha, and black tea,” the study authors write in their paper, published in Scientific Reports.
They added: “EGCG and TFDG strongly suppressed infectivity of BA.1 and XE subvariants, while effect on BA.2.75 was weaker.”
Inactivated after treatment for ‘10 seconds’
Lab studies showed some Omicron-specific mutations “crucially influenced” how the tea chemicals bind to the virus particles. EGCG and TFDG both connect to the virus in the same area as the human ACE2 receptor does, which allows coronaviruses to get into human cells and cause infection.
If the tea blocks this pivotal part of the virus mechanism then it is unable to cause disease.
Seven healthy volunteers consumed either a candy made of different types of tea (matcha, black and green tea) or a placebo
Saliva from participants who had sucked on the sweets was able to effectively inactivate the virus, data showed.
“We found that all the Omicron subvariants that we tested were efficiently inactivated by treatment with green tea, Matcha green tea, and black tea for 10 seconds,” the scientists write.
They concluded: “A candy containing green tea or black tea may be useful for inactivating the virus if infected persons consume it, to decrease virus load in the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract of the infected person, as well as to prevent spread of the virus from the infected persons to nearby uninfected persons.”
Source the Telegraph