By now just about everyone has some familiarity with the long list of benefits associated with green tea supplementing. Most of these benefits are linked to the nutrient epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)--a type of antioxidant known as a catechin. EGCG is the most abundant catechin in green tea. All antioxidants help protect cells from damage, but EGCG is especially adept at this function. In fact, laboratory tests have shown its potency is significantly more effective than vitamins C and E in combating oxidative stress. For this reason some researchers have called it "the king of anti-inflammatories." Literally thousands of research projects have honed in on EGCG, demonstrating its effectiveness in protecting health in a number of areas: Reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering risk of some cancers, improving cognitive function, supporting healthy weight, helping regulate blood sugar levels, and more. But recent research is highlighting what may be the greatest potential of EGCG so far: aiding in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Rise of the "superbugs" Antibiotic resistance occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms over time that "learn" to protect themselves from antimicrobials---the medications used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes, including bacteria (antibiotic resistance), viruses (antiviral resistance), parasites (antiparasitic resistance), and fungi (antifungal resistance). The introduction of pharmaceutical antibiotics is widely considered to be penicillin, which was first used to treat streptococcal meningitis in 1942. During the 80+ years since penicillin was introduced, numerous other antibiotics have been introduced. But as use of these antibiotics became widespread, so did the slow, but persistent, growth of antibiotic resistance. Improper management of antibiotics--primarily in the form of over prescribing--is the primary driver of this resistance; however, it can also occur naturally through genetic mutations and the spread of resistant genes. The situation is posing significant challenges worldwide as healthcare workers often struggle to replace now ineffective antibiotics as patients struggle with different infections. The media has finally noticed the growing problem and it is now common to see headlines like, The Rise of Superbugs. The World Health Organization claims that antibiotic resistance is one of the top global public health threats, and says nearly 5 million annual deaths are associated with resistant infections worldwide. Enter EGCG from green tea In the midst of this growing threat, many scientists are returning to re-examine the medicines that were used to treat infections prior to the onset of modern antibiotics. In a previous post we covered the "rediscovery" of methylene blue for infection control. In the case of green tea, the key aspect is synergy. Scientists have discovered that EGCG's cell interaction capacity appears to bring new life to existing antiobiotics. This ability could make failing antibiotics effective again, potentially saving millions of lives. According to researchers, EGCG's effectiveness is due to its ability to disrupt the biofilm that protects bacteria. The biofilm's ability to adapt is the major reason bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This was noted in a 2019 study where researchers discovered that EGCG restored and strengthened the activity of aztreonam, an antibiotic commonly-used to treat serious respiratory tract and bloodstream infections caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In recent years, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the bacterium that has become resistant to many major classes of antibiotics. The study, originally published in Microbiology Research, was conducted on both moth larvae and human skin cells. The researchers found that larvae survival rates were much higher among specimens treated with a combination of the EGCG and aztreonam. Furthermore, virtually no toxicity was observed in the skin cells or in the larvae after receiving combined treatments. Since publication of the 2019 study, there has been a significant amount of follow-up research investigating green tea's potential in combating antibiotic resistance. The research has mainly focused on testing the synergistic effect of EGCG with various antibiotics against different types of resistant bacteria. 2025 update In a 2025 paper entitled Antibacterial Activity of Green Tea Epigallocatechin Gallate on Gram Positive and Gram Negative Bacteria researchers noted that EGCG's role was to "increase the permeability of the outer membrane" of microbes. This softening of the defense barrier is what increases the penetration efficiency of antibiotics, making them effective again. This finding aligns with the synergy benefit found in the 2019 study. In the paper summary, published in the Journal of Medula, the authors re-affirmed that EGCG in combination therapy with antibiotics showed great potential for overcoming resistant infections and reducing the overall dose (and potential side effects) of the antibiotics. Unfortunately, the authors also noted that before EGCG-based treatments could be implemented the additional steps required were human trials, bioavailability testing and creation of a pharmacy-grade version of EGCG. Meanwhile, as the world waits for a patent to be issued, the preliminary research on EGCG in the antibiotic resistance arena is just one more piece of evidence pointing to green tea's immune-supporting benefit overall. Find ECGC from green tea in Opti-Immune VRL from Optimal Health Systems. Click the banner ad on this page to learn more. Primary sources for this article: Journal of Medical Microbiology, Journal of Medula, Wikipedia (penicillin), Wikipedia (Epigallocatechin gallate).
