Eyes may absorb catechins from green tea
WebMD (2/18, Warner) reported that, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, catechins, “the compounds responsible for many of the health benefits of green tea, are capable of penetrating the tissues of the eyes and have antioxidant activity there” for “up to 20 hours.” After feeding “laboratory rats green tea extract and then” analyzing the tissues of the animals’ eyes, researchers found that “different parts of the eye absorbed varying amounts of catechins. The area with the highest concentration of catechins was the retina.”