By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu

The writer

Attaya: Improves Prostate Health?

I found that attaya is green tea, and science has demonstrated the numerous benefits of drinking green tea. There are many benefits to drinking green tea without adding sugar. My only concern is the quantity of sugar Gambians add to their attaya.  You can get all the benefits from drinking green tea without adding sugar.

Especially for black men, living long enough means you are going to have problems with your prostate. While the prostate is typically a small, walnut-sized gland in young males, it undergoes two phases of growth later on in life which often result in urinary problems. The first phase of growth occurs during puberty and usually doubles the size of the gland, while the second phase of growth begins at around 25 and continues for the rest of your life leading to benign prostatic enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH).

More than 50 per cent of men have BPH by the age of 60 and experience urinary difficulties. Although prescription medications are commonly used to treat BPH, herbal supplements may provide much-needed relief during the initial stages of the condition. One such herbal solution is green tea which is the ingredient in Gambian attaya.

I found that it appears we are drinking for the sake of drinking. But attaya goes more than just drinking for men. Do you know that both green tea and hibiscus tea are among the top drinks for prostate health? Both types of tea contain potent antioxidants. Studies show that green tea can help prevent prostate cancer from forming and may also slow the growth of aggressive prostate cancer. Studies show that green tea can also benefit men with BPH and prostatitis.

Let us explore some of the benefits in detail:

Green Tea

Green tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis. The two main varieties of tea plants are Camellia sinensis, a small-leaf variety native to China, and Camellia sinesis assamica, a large-leaf variety that was first discovered in the Assam district of India. Hundreds of cultivars and hybrid plants have evolved from these two plant varieties over time.

Green Tea Ingredients

Without sugar, green tea is not only the second most popular beverage across the globe but also a pleasant alternative to soft drinks and coffee. It contains potent polyphenols, and catechins with anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antioxidant properties. The active ingredients in green tea include gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and epigallocatechin (EGC), among other polyphenols.

The polyphenol known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is effective in reducing the overproduction of cells common in BPH and in preventing the onset of prostatic enlargement. Other specific polyphenols found in green tea can treat the symptoms and eradicate various causes of BPH, making green tea irreplaceable for managing the condition alongside lifestyle changes, medications, and other interventions.

 Green Tea, Prostate Health

Green tea contains antioxidants that reduce the levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone that promotes the growth of the prostate. A reduction in the levels of DHT decreased the risk of developing an enlarged prostate. The catechins in green tea regulate the secretion of DHT and PSA, promoting normal prostate size and volume and reducing the risk of BPH.

Also, the catechins in green tea have been proven in science their efficacy in relieving urinary symptoms such as frequent urination, night-time urination, and problems with urinary flow. Improved urine flow, relief of annoying urinary symptoms, and reduced prostatic inflammation which leads to a higher quality of life. Apart from this, the catechins in green tea can kill certain viruses and bacteria, reducing the risk of urinary tract infections that may occur in men with an enlarged prostate. One study by Tepedelen et al. (2017) found that EGCG reduced the over-production of cells which happens during the development of an enlarged prostate.

Also, chronic prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland, is another prostate condition that could be soothed by a polyphenol in green tea – this time the bioflavonoid quercetin (Khan and Mukhtar, 2013).

An earlier study by Shoskes DA, et al. (1999) in Urology found that around two-thirds of men with prostate problems like chronic prostatitis who took quercetin every day saw their symptoms improve by at least 25%.

Factors affecting the effectiveness of Attaya

Dr. Reid Graves, Dr. Nicholas Laryngakis, and Dr. Adam Oppenheim of St Pete Urology, board-certified urologists explained that the strength and effectiveness of green tea depend on the amount of the tea consumed. Studies have shown that men who take large quantities of green tea regularly enjoy more prostate health benefits from the tea than those who take the tea irregularly or in small amounts. The amount of catechins in green tea also depends on where the plants are grown, how the tea leaves are harvested, and how the leaves are processed. For instance, Japanese green teas usually have greater quantities of catechins than Chinese teas, with slight differences within specific groups. Remember that the power of green tea comes from the fact that its leaves are not oxidized and can retain essential substances such as catechins that promote both general health and prostate health.

Attaya, warnings

Gegbe et al. (2015) study found that if attaya is not boiled the right way or excess consumption or mixed with another product as in the case of Sierra Leone, it can lead to many health implications. Additionally, Poor hygiene at attaya bases has high risks of Cholera and Tuberculosis (TB), although attaya bases enhance Love and Unity across the country.

Also, in Ghana, the ministry for national security has warned the public about brands that are unwholesome for public consumption. So, in choosing, opt for quality brands approved by the FDA.

Green tea can cause side effects due to caffeine. These can include anxiety, tremors, irritability, and sleeping problems. This is more likely if you’re sensitive to caffeine or take large doses, Green tea extracts may cause liver problems. Symptoms can include yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, nausea, and stomach pain. The negative effects of green tea extract on the liver may depend on how much green tea extract you consume each day.

Also, it is important to choose caffeine-free sources of tea, though. Caffeine can irritate both the prostate and the bladder. A study found that men who consumed 234 mg or more of caffeine each day were 72 per cent more likely to experience urinary incontinence compared to men who drank the least amount of caffeine. If you have urinary or pain symptoms due to prostatitis, caffeine can make these symptoms worse. If you have BPH or prostatitis, make an effort to reduce your caffeine intake by cutting back on coffee, soda, or energy drinks. Avoiding caffeine can make a big difference in your urinary health.

Green tea contains small amounts of vitamin K. This means it may decrease how well blood thinner medicines work. Since green tea acts as a mild stimulant, you shouldn’t use it with other stimulants. It may change the effects of other medicines.

 Conclusion

There are many benefits to drinking attaya. My only concern is how sugar is added in the Gambia. But without adding sugar, attaya drinking may also have positive effects on the prostate gland. However, its association with prostate health is primarily due to research that connects it to protection against prostate cancer, not prostate enlargement.

For instance, Katz et al. (2014) study found that people with known or suspected BPH did link improved lower urological health with the consumption of a green and black tea extract supplement. In this study, the researchers found that people who were supplemented with 500 milligrams (mg) or 1000 mg of a green and black tea extract blend showed improved urine flow, decreased inflammation, and improvements in quality of life in as little as 6 weeks.

However, green and black tea extracts are highly concentrated and will have different health effects than traditionally brewed teas. Despite limited evidence on enlarged prostate, adding green tea to your diet could have prostate health benefits. It has known chemoprotective abilities, especially in the case of prostate cancer, so green is a good choice regardless (Henning et al. 2011).

Also, Kurahashi et al. (2008) study found that men drinking green tea had a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer.

Finally, a recent study by Sharifi-Zahabi et al. (2021) evaluate the effects of green tea on the PSA level, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and found no effect.

Drinking three to five cups of attaya per day seems to be optimal to reap the most health benefits. Try to choose a higher quality brand of green tea, because some of the lower quality brands can contain excessive amounts of fluoride (Lu et al. 2004).

So, imagine that we could be improving our prostate health by just drinking sugar-free attaya. This is because green tea and hibiscus tea are among the top drinks for prostate health. Both types of tea contain potent antioxidants. Studies show that green tea can help prevent prostate cancer from forming and may also slow the growth of aggressive prostate cancer. Studies show that green tea can also benefit men with BPH (enlarge prostate) and prostatitis. Always remember not to add sugar to your attaya or better still buy green tea.

NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey University College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. E. mail: [email protected].

Health myths/benefits

The use of Tobacco mixed products known locally as “tabaa” is a common practice across The Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau. It is used by women who insert it into their vaginas for increased sexual pleasure, it is also applied to wounds to relieve pain and aches.

The product is sold underground without regulation and has raised concern among healthcare workers for its effects on health and well-being. In 2017, France24 investigated the practice, interviewing two Senegalese women.

The report states: “The powder seems to provoke a wide range of reactions — while some users report that this drug makes them feel pleasantly drunk or provides relief from pain, others say it causes dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea and skin irritations. While neither of the women interviewed said that they felt sexual pleasure after putting the “tobacco” in their vaginas, that seems to be the case for other users.

“After about 15 minutes, sexual desire takes over the woman’s body and she feels an immense sensation of pleasure as if she were straddling a man,” states an article about the mysterious powder published in the Senegalese newspaper, Le Populaire.

A Senegalese gynaecologist was interviewed and stated: “I first heard about this powder when I examined a woman from Guinea-Bissau in October 2015. Since then, I’ve had many other patients admit to me that they use it. All of these women had urinary or vaginal infections. Some even had sores on their vulvas because the powder is toxic and causes itching and irritation.

That said, not all users experience dizziness and diarrhoea. But whatever the side effects, all users are putting their lives in danger. They are increasing the risk of developing cervical cancer.

What worries me is that, even when I explain the risks to them, most of these women keep using it.”

[Editor’s note: numerous people contacted by the FRANCE 24 Observers said the powder was addictive and that some women had trouble experiencing sexual pleasure without it.]

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By Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu

The writer

Attaya: Improves brain function, protects brain ageing

In recent times, I have been delving into the potency of attaya in the Gambia. This is partly due to the ingredient green tea which science has demonstrated its abilities on our health. Another area I found to share with you is our brain health.

Due to the numerous health benefits, we derived from green tea, I have been advising that we do away with the sugar we add to attaya. Attaya is akin to the Japanese version of their green tea called Matcha.

Attaya and Brain function, the Science

Drinking attaya improves brain function. For instance, Green tea does more than just keep you alert, it may also help boost brain function. The key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. Though green tea doesn’t contain as much as coffee, however, it has more to produce a response without causing the nervous effects associated with taking in too much caffeine.

How does it work on the brain?

Two studies answer this question:  (Nehlig et al. 1992; Bertil B. 1995) assert that caffeine works on the brain by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine.  When this happens, it raises the neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.

Ruxton, (2008) also notes that caffeine may support diverse areas of brain function, including mood, vigilance, reaction time, and memory.

Nobre et al.(2008) emphasized that apart from caffeine that is known as a brain-boosting compound in green tea.  The amino acid L-theanine is also found in green tea and this can even penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

How L-theanine also works was explained in three studies: Nobre et al. 2008; Nathan et al. 2006; Egashira et al. 2007) by increasing the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which has anti-anxiety effects. It further raises dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain.

The combination of caffeine and L-theanine can have synergistic effects, and thus have a powerful effect in improving brain function (Kelly et al. 2008; Dodd et al. 2015).  Due to the presence of Caffeine and L-theanine, green tea could make you have a milder and different kind of buzz than coffee.  Several people have reported that drinking green gives them more stable energy and makes them more productive as compared to coffee.

Schmidt et al. (2014) study employed memory tasks and an advanced imaging technology called functional MRI to evaluate cognitive functions in healthy volunteers.  They found that those given green tea extract performed better on memory tasks. They also observed enhanced connectivity between areas in the brain involved in the tasks.

This implies that the subjects show physiological changes in the brain that are linked with improved mental function.

A previous study, using an electroencephalogram to monitor brain activity, found improvement in brain wave activity after taking an EGCG (green tea extract) supplement (Scholey et al. 2012).

The benefits extend beyond cognitive enhancement. For instance, in healthy adults, green tea also reduced psychological stress, including feelings of anxiety and depression, and led to a feeling of calmness (Hozawa et al. 2006; Scholey et al. 2012).

Finally, another review study (Mancini et al. 2017) assesses the current state of knowledge in the literature regarding the effects of green tea or green tea extracts, l-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate both components of green tea on general neuropsychology, on the sub-category cognition and brain functions in humans.

The study found evidence that green tea influences psychopathological symptoms (e.g., reduction of anxiety), cognition (e.g., benefits in memory and attention), and brain function (e.g., activation of working memory seen in functional MRI). The effects of green tea cannot be attributed to a single constituent of the beverage. This is exemplified in the finding that beneficial green tea effects on cognition are observed under the combined influence of both caffeine and l-theanine, whereas separate administration of either substance was found to have a lesser impact.

Attaya, protect brain ageing

Apart from improving brain function in the short term, it may also protect your brain as you age. For instance, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, common neurodegenerative diseases in older adults could all be protected by drinking green tea.

For instance, Ma et al. (2016) conducted one of the largest studies, a pooled analysis of 52,503 participants in countries around the world and found that tea significantly reduced the rate of multiple kinds of cognitive disorders by 35%.

Another large meta-analysis (Liu et al. 2017) examined the risk of cognitive disorders in 48,435 individuals. The study found that higher tea consumption was associated with a significant reduction in cognitive disorders.

They also found that green tea consumption was more reliably associated with cognitive benefits than oolong or black tea.

Two other studies (Feng et al. 2010; Kuriyama et al. 2006) report that there is a 36% reduction in cognitive disorders in habitual consumers of green tea as compared to non-habitual drinkers. Scientists also found a dose-response relationship: The green tea consumed, the greater the protection from cognitive dysfunction. In practical terms, those who drank 16 ounces of green tea per day derived nearly six times more protection from the development of cognitive disorders than those who drank 3.5 ounces.

For instance, three studies, (Weinreb et al. 2004; Mandel et al. 2008; Caruana and Vassallo, 2015) demonstrate that the catechin compounds in green tea could decrease the risk of dementia by protecting neurons in test tubes and animal models.

For Parkinson’s disease, two case-control studies (Barranco Quintana et al. 2009; Hosseini et al. 2013) conducted in non-western populations found that tea consumption has a strong protective effect against Parkinson’s disease. About 41% were found in those who constantly drink tea more than those occasional drinkers.

A large meta-analysis (Qi et al. 2014) included 344,895 respondents globally and found that the amount of green tea drinking is associated with how one is protected from Parkinson’s disease.  The study demonstrates that about 26% of those who take two cups daily had a reduced risk of Parkinson’s, especially in European and Asian populations.

Finally, Tomata et al. (2012) large, prospective study evaluated the impact that green tea can have on functional disability, regardless of the underlying cause.  The study used about 14,000 Japanese respondents aged 64. They reported that there is a good protective effect of greater green tea consumption, reducing the risk of disability and the need for support for daily activities.

This study also found that if we drink about five or more cups per day, we are likely to have 33% less functional impairment as compared to those who do not drink at all.  

 Take Home

Large Studies in humans have demonstrated the many benefits of drinking attaya (green tea) on our brains. For instance:

Ma et al. (2015) meta-analysis found that the rate of cognitive disorders was 35% lower in people who regularly drank tea.

Qi et al. (2015) also found that Parkinson’s disease risk was reduced by 26% for every two cups per day of tea consumed in another study. Green tea intake can reduce the risk of brain damage from strokes in multiple ways.

How much should we drink daily?

The studies reported drinking five or more cups of attaya (green tea) per day.  I still reiterate the elimination of sugar in your drink.  You can also buy green tea extracts in capsule form as they provide high quantities of polyphenols (catechins).

 NB:

Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups.  My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.

The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey University College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. Currently BL Candidate at the Gambia Law School, Banjul. E. mail: [email protected]. + 2207452652(for more information)

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