The Truth About Tea The Antibacterial Effects of Green Tea: Bottled vs. Brewed

Background Research (1) Green tea has been shown to help with heart disease, oral health, arthritis, weight loss, stress, flu, food poisoning, colds, and other bacterial illnesses It can also help promote helpful bacteria in the intestines Sweetened, flavored, bottled, and old green teas have been shown to retain less antibacterial effects as they are very processed Two types of bacteria were used: E. coli and strep mutans

Background Research (2)– Bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) ◦ Gram negative ◦ Bacteria found in intestines of warm blooded animals and people ◦ Causes food poisoning and can be from consuming undercooked or raw meat and vegetables, water, or anything that comes in contact with animal manure ◦ Can cause diarrhea and eventually HUS/kidney failure ◦ Most documented outbreak of O157:H7 ◦ Similar to Salmonella Streptococcus mutans ◦ Gram positive ◦ Bacteria found in teeth and mouth area ◦ Creates acid which causes tooth decay, and also damages gums and roots ◦ Feeds on refined carbohydrates in milk, sugar, fruit, etc.

Question Which type/brand of green tea has the most antibacterial effects?

Hypothesis The brewed green tea made from Chinese tea leaves will have the most antibacterial effects.

Materials (1) Twenty-four sterile paper disks Six Petri dishes with tryptic soy agar Six empty Petri dishes Streptococcus mutans purchased from a catalog Escherichia coli purchased from a catalog Ruler (in centimeters) Sterile tweezers Incubator Sterile swabs Goggles Lab coat Gloves Permanent marker Tape

Materials (2) – Green Teas Brewed Chinese green tea Trader Joe’s unsweetened bottled green tea AriZona sweetened honey ginseng bottled green tea Just Tea unsweetened bottled green tea Gold Peak sweetened bottled green tea Sterile water

Procedure 1. Petri dishes with agar were labeled with three tests for each type of bacteria, and type of tea on outside 2. Empty Petri dishes were each filled with one of the types of tea and sterile water, and the sterile disks were put in to soak 3. Freeze dried E. coli and strep mutans cultures were hydrated using sterile technique, and the bacteria was incubated for approx. 24 hours 4. Sterile swabs were used to spread E. coli over three Petri dishes, and strep mutans over three Petri dishes 5. One disk soaked in each type of tea was placed into each of the dishes 6. The Petri dishes were incubated at 37 °C for approx. 48 hours, then the zones of inhibition were observed for both types of bacteria

Variables Independent ◦ The types of green tea; the types of bacteria Dependent ◦ The size of the zones of inhibition Control ◦ The sterile water tests Constants ◦ The two different types of bacteria, the types of green tea and water, the length of incubation

Data (1)

Data (2)

Data (3)

Possible Sources of Error For the E. coli test, the time between when the brewed green tea was made and when it was tested was larger than in the strep mutans test In the strep mutans test, the zones of inhibition were very faint and may have been inaccurately measured for any of the teas

Continuations What other bacteria are green tea effective on? Does green tea really help other, non- bacterial illnesses? (ex: cancer, arthritis, etc…) Do other green tea products besides the actual tea have antibacterial effects? (ex: lotions, body washes, food, etc…) Are other alternative medicines more antibacterial than green tea?

Conclusion All teas except for AriZona had at least a small amount of antibacterial effects The two sweetened teas (AriZona and Gold Peak) appeared to have the least health benefits, although the error bars were large Because of the large standard deviations and ranges for brewed green tea, it can’t be said whether it had a greater effect than any of the other teas except AriZona The hypothesis was rejected – Trader Joe’s unsweetened bottled tea had the most effects overall and was much more consistent in the data Unsweetened, unflavored bottled green tea or brewed green tea from loose tea leaves are still the best choices to maximize your good health

Works Cited About E. coli. (2011). Retrieved from Marler Clark LLP, PS website: All about antioxidants. (n.d.). Retrieved from AriZona Beverage Co. website: ‌ index_national.html#health_anti_ox Baker, S. L. (2010, August 17). Scientists discover how polyphenols in green tea may protect health of diabetics. Retrieved from Natural News Network website: ‌ _polyphenols_green_tea.html Bottled green tea and canned drinks: Why more harmful than healthy. ( ). Retrieved from ‌ bottled-green-tea.html Chinese tea health benefits. ( ). Retrieved from ‌ health_benefits.php#bac Cold tea vs hot tea health benefits: How long can you keep or steep? ( ). Retrieved from ‌ cold-tea.html Compestine, Y. C. (2000). Introduction. In Cooking with green tea (pp. 2-3). New York, NY: Avery Books. Cup of green tea to keep the bacteria away. (2007, January 16). ScienceDaily. Retrieved from ‌ releases/ ‌ 2007/ ‌ 01/ ‌ htm Green tea. (2007). In B. Baver (Ed.), Mayo clinic book of alternative medicine (p. 56). New York, NY: Time. Herbal remedies. (2010). Retrieved from Resort health products website: ‌ herbs/ ‌ green_tea.html Lash, R. (2007). The legend of green tea keeps a-growin. Discover. Retrieved from ‌ 2007/ ‌ oct/ ‌ the-legend-of-green-tea-keeps-a- growin/ ‌ ?searchterm=health%20&%20medicine%20nutrition%20te Learn all about the history of green tea. (2010). Retrieved from Adagio Teas website: ‌ history-of-green-tea.html LIPTON® green tea with citrus flavor. (2010). Retrieved from Unilever website: ‌ our_products/ ‌ iced_tea/ ‌ ice_green_citrus.aspx Strep mutans. (2010). Retrieved from ‌ strep-mutans.asp Tai, J. ( ). The truth about tea: A t-volution is quietly steeping away. Retrieved from ‌ index.html Thank you!