Reference Number: 422
Year: 2014
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Inflammation | Stress
Nutrition: Antioxidants
Summary
This study investigated the antioxidative effect of rooibos herbal tea and a rooibos-derived commercial supplement on tert-butyl
hydroperoxide- (t-BHP-) induced oxidative stress in the liver. Forty male Wistar rats consumed fermented rooibos, unfermented
rooibos, a rooibos-derived commercial supplement, or water for 10 weeks, while oxidative stress was induced during the last 2
weeks via intraperitoneal injection of 30 ?mole of t-BHP per 100 g body weight. None of the beverages impaired the body weight
gain of the respective animals. Rats consuming the rooibos-derived commercial supplement had the highest (? < 0.05) daily
total polyphenol intake (169mg/day) followed by rats consuming the unfermented rooibos (93.4mg/day) and fermented rooibos
(73.1mg/day). Intake of both the derived supplement and unfermented rooibos restored the t-BHP-induced reduction and increased
(? < 0.05) the antioxidant capacity status of the liver, while not impacting on lipid peroxidation. The rooibos herbal tea did not
affect the hepatic antioxidant enzymes, except fermented rooibos that caused a decrease (? < 0.05) in superoxide dismutase activity.
This study confirms rooibos herbal tea as good dietary antioxidant sources and, in conjunction with its many other components,
offers a significantly enhanced antioxidant status of the liver in an induced oxidative stress situation.
Significance of this study for Sourdough Bakers:
The addition of Rooibos to a diversity blend may benefit us through its high level of phenolic compounds (polyphenols) that have prebiotic-like effects, supporting the growth of ‘good’ bacteria and inhibiting the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria in our gut microbiomes.