A study by the Medical College of Georgia suggests that green tea may help protect against autoimmune diseases. The researchers studied the effects of EGCG, the most abundant catechin in green tea, on symptoms of Sjogrens syndrome, which damages the glands that produce tears and saliva. They found that EGCG plays a role in preventing the body to attack itself and produce extra antibodies that mistakenly target salivary and lacrimal glands. Dry mouth, as it is more commonly known, affects nearly 30% of American elderly population and only 5% of Chinese, where green tea is widely popular.
