A research team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia headed by Dr. Thomas Smith from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have discovered certain compounds in green tea that seem to have great potential for treating a deadly genetic disorder called hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia (HHS).
When people who have the disorder eat too much protein, they experience a rapid spike in insulin accompanied by a simultaneous drop in blood glucose levels, which often sends them into a coma and may often result in death.
The underlying cause of HHS is improper regulations of glutamate dehydrogenase, a compound that is emitted from the liver, kidney, brain and pancreatic beta-cells and is responsible for digesting amino acids.
Dr. Smith who has been studying green tea’s effects on this disorder for more than 30 years found that two compounds in green tea, when ingested orally, turn off glutamate dehydrogenase, which compensates for the genetic disorder.
The research team is now facing the challenge of additional funding in order complete their research and go for clinical trials.