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PubMed1998

[Influence of dietary habits and body weight on blood uric acid in the elderly].

Influence of dietary habits, body weight on blood uric acid was studied in 416 elderly people. The result showed that level of blood uric acid in the people who had habits of drinking alcohol, tea and taking hot foods was higher than that who never had those habits (P < 0.05 or 0.01). It also showed that level of blood uric acid was significantly increased in the over-weight or obesity people (P < 0.05). The hyperuricemia incidence in the over-weight or obesity people is 27.4 per cent, and it is 2 times and 3.4 times of the people with ideal weight and weak-weight, respectively. It is suggested that the patients with gout or hyperuricemia give up drinking alcohol, tea and taking hot foods for their health. Reducing body weight is one of the effective measures to prevent and treat gout or hyperuricemia in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Green tea and risk of breast cancer in Asian Americans.

There is substantial in vitro and in vivo evidence implicating tea polyphenols as chemopreventive agents against various cancers. However, epidemiologic data obtained from mainly Western populations are not supportive of a protective role of tea, mainly black tea, in the etiology of breast cancer. Much less is known about the relationship between green tea and breast cancer risk. During 1995-1998, we conducted a population-based, case-control study of breast cancer among Chinese, Japanese and Filipino women in Los Angeles County and successfully interviewed 501 breast cancer patients and 594 control subjects. Detailed information on menstrual and reproductive factors; dietary habits, including intake of black and green tea; and other lifestyle factors was collected. Risk of breast cancer was not related to black tea consumption. In contrast, green tea drinkers showed a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer, and this was maintained after adjusting for age, specific Asian ethnicity, birthplace, age at menarche, parity, menopausal status, use of menopausal hormones, body size and intake of total calories and black tea. Compared to women who did not drink green tea regularly (i.e., less than once a month), there was a significant trend of decreasing risk with increasing amount of green tea intake, adjusted odds ratios being 1.00, 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51-0.99) and 0.53 (95% CI 0.35-0.78), respectively, in association with no, 0-85.7 and >85.7 ml of green tea per day. The significant inverse association between risk of breast cancer and green tea intake remained after further adjustment for other potential confounders, including smoking; alcohol, coffee and black tea intake; family history of breast cancer; physical activity; and intake of soy and dark green vegetables. While both green tea and soy intake had significant, independent protective effects on breast cancer risk, the benefit of green tea was primarily observed among subjects who were low soy consumers. Similarly, the protective effect of soy was primarily observed among subjects who were nondrinkers of green tea. In summary, our results point to an important role of both green tea and soy intake in relation to breast cancer risk in Asian-American women.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Mortality among female practitioners of Chanoyu (Japanese "tea-ceremony").

A cohort study aimed to evaluate the effect of drinking green tea on longevity was performed. Three thousand three hundred and eighty female practitioners of chanoyu (Japanese tea-ceremony), living in Tokyo, were followed from 1980 to 1988, and 280 were dead during this period. Standardized mortality ratios were estimated 0.55 when all Japanese women was used as standard population and 0.57 when women living in Tokyo was used, indicating the possibility that green tea is a protective factor for several fatal diseases.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Black tea and mammary gland carcinogenesis by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in rats fed control or high fat diets.

Epidemiological studies suggest that tea may reduce cancer risk, and in laboratory rodents, chemopreventive effects of tea or purified extracts of tea have been demonstrated in lung, gastrointestinal tract and skin. There is some evidence of chemoprevention by tea in the mammary gland, but the data are not conclusive. In order to evaluate more fully the possible influence of black tea on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary gland tumors in the female S-D (Sprague-Dawley) rat, three large studies were performed: experiment 1, tumorigenesis in rats fed AIN-76A diet and given 25 mg/kg DMBA and 1.25 or 2.5% whole tea extract or water to drink; experiment 2, tumorigenesis in rats given 15 mg/kg DMBA and the same diet and fluids as in experiment 1; experiment 3, tumorigenesis in rats fed control or HF (high fat, corn oil) diet and given 15 mg/kg DMBA and 2% tea or water to drink. Tea was given throughout the experiment; DMBA was given by gastric gavage at 8 weeks of age. There was no consistent effect of tea on tumorigenesis in rats fed AIN-76A diet; there was, however, evidence in experiment 3 of a reduction of tumorigenesis by tea in rats fed the HF diet. In experiment 3, rats fed the HF diet and given water showed the expected increase in tumor burden (number and weight) compared with rats fed control diet. However, rats fed the HF diet and given 2% tea showed no increase in tumor burden; their tumor burden was significantly lower than in rats fed the HF diet and given water (P < 0.01) and was not different from rats fed control diet and given water or tea. In addition, in experiment 3, the number of malignant tumors per tumor-bearing rat was increased by the HF diet in water-drinking rats (P < 0.01) but not in tea-drinking rats. Therefore, it appears that tea partially blocked the promotion of DMBA-induced mammary tumorigenesis by the HF diet.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed2005

Green tea with a high catechin content suppresses inflammatory cytokine expression in the galactosamine-injured rat liver.

Galactosamine is known to induce hepatic injury in rats and the galactosamine-induced hepatitis is believed to be similar to viral hepatitis both morphologically and functionally. In the present study, we examined how drinking green tea affects the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines which may be up-regulated in galactosamine-induced hepatitis. As has been reported, galactosamine caused hepatic injury in rats as evidenced by an increase in serum transaminase activities and histological observations of the liver. The results of the reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction indicated an increased gene expression of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1beta, in the injured liver and the enzyme linked immunoassay showed an increase in the serum levels of these cytokines. Oral administration of green tea rich in catechins (Healthya green tea) restored these biomarkers in the galacotsamine-treated rats to near the control levels. These results suggest that the drinking of green tea with a high catechin content may help to prevent and/or attenuate the development of a certain type of hepatitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Factors affecting bioelectrical impedance measurements in humans.

In several groups of young healthy subjects the effect of the ingestion of a meal, of drinking normal tea or beef tea, of exercise and of the menstrual cycle on body impedance was assessed. The day-to-day reproducibility of the method was also investigated under standardized conditions. Two to four hours after ingestion of a meal, body impedance had decreased by about 13-17 Ohms in comparison with body impedance in the fasting state. Drinking 200 ml of normal tea did not result in a change of body impedance, but drinking 200 ml beef tea lowered the body impedance significantly by 4 +/- 4 Ohms. Moderate exercise on a bicycle ergometer (90 min, 100 W) did not influence body impedance, but strenuous exercise (90 min, 175 W) resulted in a decrease of 9 +/- 11 Ohms in body impedance. In general, changes in body impedance during the menstrual cycle were small, and only the difference between measurements of body impedance 1 week before the onset of the menstruation and again 1 week after menstruation (8 +/- 9 Ohms) was statistically significant. Under standardized conditions (in the morning, in the fasting state after emptying the bladder) the within-person between-day variation was found to be 2.8 per cent (13 Ohms).

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2002

Effect of caffeine-deprivation on liking for a non-caffeinated drink.

Liking for a novel non-caffeinated drink decreases when regular caffeine consumers are exposed repeatedly to that drink when caffeine-deprived; however, this dislike is not manifest if people are subsequently tested when not caffeine-deprived (Yeomans et al., 2000a). The present study investigated the basis for this effect, and in particular, whether the decrease in liking observed is specific to the drink flavour experienced during caffeine-deprivation. Twenty-four caffeine consumers evaluated five novel drinks (fruit teas) at pre-training. For each person, the drink with the median liking score was subsequently consumed mid-morning after 12 h caffeine-deprivation on four non-consecutive training days. Rated pleasantness of this drink decreased significantly over these four training days. Subjects subsequently re-evaluated all five drinks on a test day when half the consumers were given 100mg caffeine two hours prior to testing, with the remainder receiving placebo. The group who remained deprived continued to express depressed liking for the exposed (target) drink, compared to their pre-training rating of that drink. In contrast, rated pleasantness was not depressed compared to pre-training ratings in the group who had received caffeine prior to testing. Rated pleasantness of the four unexposed drinks was equivalent to pre-training ratings, for both groups, suggesting that the effect of exposure on ratings of the target drink was specific to that drink. As expected, there was some evidence of improved mood in the group receiving caffeine on the test day; but as it was only ratings of the target drink that differed across groups, the group difference cannot be attributed to general effects of mood on use of the rating scale. These data suggest that the reversal of acquired changes in liking for drinks when consumers are changed from a caffeine-deprived to an undeprived condition is best explained in terms of state-dependent learning, that is specific to the drink experienced during caffeine-deprivation.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Molecular and cellular effects of green tea on oral cells of smokers: a pilot study.

Studies in cell culture and laboratory animals have shown that green tea and its major component, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, inhibit cell growth and reduce tumor incidence. However, results of epidemiological studies have generated inconsistent, sometimes conflicting data regarding protection by green tea against human cancers. To clarify the findings of these laboratory studies in application to humans, we conducted a pilot intervention study with three heavy smokers (> 10 cigarettes/day) and three nonsmokers (never smokers) in order to evaluate the molecular and cellular effects of drinking green tea using human oral cells as an investigative tool. Green tea total extract (400-500 mg/cup, 5 cups/day) was administered in drinking water to the subjects for four weeks. Two oral cytology samples were taken weekly for measurements of tobacco carcinogen-induced DNA damage, including bulky adducts and oxidized bases, cell growth, DNA content, and apoptosis. The study showed that during the course of green tea administration smoking-induced DNA damage was decreased, cell growth was inhibited, and the percentage of cells in S phase was reduced, cells accumulated in G1 phase (cyclin D1 positive), DNA content became more diploid and less aneuploid, and p53, Caspase-3, and TUNEL, markers of apoptosis, were increased. The study, although preliminary, indicates that drinking green tea reduced the number of damaged cells in smokers by inducing cell growth arrest and apoptosis, a mechanism similar to that observed in cultured cells and animals. These results warrant a large-scale intervention trial to further verify the role of green tea in the prevention of oral cancer in smokers.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and green tea can protect human cellular DNA from ultraviolet and visible radiation-induced damage.

BACKGROUND: Antioxidant compounds in green tea may be able to protect against skin carcinogenesis and it is of interest to investigate the mechanisms involved. A study was therefore conducted to determine whether the isolated green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could prevent ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced DNA damage in cultured human cells. This work was then extended to investigate whether drinking green tea could afford any UVR protection to human peripheral blood cells collected after tea ingestion. METHODS: The alkaline comet assay was used to compare the DNA damage induced by UVR in cultured human cells with and without the presence of EGCG. The same assay technique was then employed to assess UVR-induced DNA damage in peripheral leucocytes isolated from 10 adult human volunteers before and after drinking 540 ml of green tea. RESULTS: Initial trials found that EGCG afforded concentration-dependent photoprotection to cultured human cells with a maximal activity at a culture concentration of 250 microM. The cells types tested (lung fibroblasts, skin fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes) demonstrated varying susceptibility to the UVR insult provided. The in vivo trials of green tea also demonstrated a photoprotective effect, with samples of peripheral blood cells taken after green tea consumption showing lower levels of DNA damage than those taken prior to ingestion when exposed to 12 min ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. CONCLUSION: The studies showed that green tea and/or some constituents can offer some protection against UV-induced DNA damage in human cell cultures and also in human peripheral blood samples taken post-tea ingestion.

Antimutagenic Agents↗
PubMed2003

Cholesterol-lowering effect of a theaflavin-enriched green tea extract: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Tea consumption has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, but potential mechanisms of benefit are ill-defined. While epidemiologic studies suggest that drinking multiple cups of tea per day lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), previous trials of tea drinking and administration of green tea extract have failed to show any impact on lipids and lipoproteins in humans. Our objective was to study the impact of a theaflavin-enriched green tea extract on the lipids and lipoproteins of subjects with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial set in outpatient clinics in 6 urban hospitals in China. A total of 240 men and women 18 years or older on a low-fat diet with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomly assigned to receive a daily capsule containing theaflavin-enriched green tea extract (375 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks. Main outcome measures were mean percentage changes in total cholesterol, LDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride levels compared with baseline. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, the mean +/- SEM changes from baseline in total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglyceride levels were -11.3% +/- 0.9% (P =.01), -16.4% +/- 1.1% (P =.01), 2.3% +/- 2.1% (P =.27), and 2.6% +/- 3.5% (P =.47), respectively, in the tea extract group. The mean levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides did not change significantly in the placebo group. No significant adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: The theaflavin-enriched green tea extract we studied is an effective adjunct to a low-saturated-fat diet to reduce LDL-C in hypercholesterolemic adults and is well tolerated.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

UV-induced NF-kappaB activation and expression of IL-6 is attenuated by (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate in cultured human keratinocytes in vitro.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is widely considered as a major cause of human skin photoaging and skin cancer. UV radiation-induced proinflammatory cytokines mediated by NF-kappaB reportedly play important roles in photoaging and cancer. NF-kappaB and cytokines have been thus perceived as molecular targets for pharmacological intervention. With an increasing amount of knowledge of the actions of green tea extracts at cellular and molecular levels, the beneficial effect of drinking green tea has become well recognized if not completely accepted. The components in green tea have even been added to skin-care products unregulated, while the molecular mechanisms of the actions of those components on human skin are being unraveled. Using cultured human keratinocytes, we investigated the effects of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenolic constituent in green tea, on UV-induced activation of transcription factor NF-kappaB and proinflammatory pathway by measuring nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and IL-6 secretion in vitro. Immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis and ELISA indicated that both nuclear p65 and secreted IL-6 were significantly (p<0.05) induced by UVB (20, 30 mJ/cm2) and UVA irradiation (10, 20 J/cm2). NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and IL-6 secretion induced by UVB and UVA were dramatically inhibited by treatment of EGCG. FACS analysis showed that EGCG also inhibited UVB-induced apoptosis. EGCG recovered UV-induced loss of anti-apoptotic component, bcl-2, and inhibited UV-induced apoptotic component, Fas ligand, expression. Collectively, we conclude that EGCG inhibits UVB- and UVA-induced proinflammatory pathway and inhibits apoptosis in cultured human keratinocytes in vitro. Our data suggest that EGCG be added to cosmetic or skin-care products for prevention from UV-induced skin photoaging if this activity can be further confirmed and no cytotoxicity is reported in human skin in vivo.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1998

Inhibition of lung carcinogenesis by black tea in Fischer rats treated with a tobacco-specific carcinogen: caffeine as an important constituent.

Here, we examined the effect of black tea and caffeine on lung tumorigenesis in F344 rats induced by the nicotine-derived carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in a 2-year bioassay. NNK was administered s.c. at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg body weight three times weekly for 20 weeks. Animals were given either black tea as drinking water at concentrations of 2%, 1%, or 0.5%, or caffeine in drinking water at concentrations identical to those in 2% and 0.5% tea infusions for 22 weeks. The treatment period began 1 week before and ended 1 week after the NNK administration. The animals were sacrificed on week 101 for the examination of tumors in target organs, including lung, liver, nasal cavity, and other major organs. The NNK-treated group, given 2% black tea, showed a significant reduction of the total lung tumor (adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and adenosquamous carcinomas) incidence from 47% to 19%, whereas the group given 1% and 0.5% black tea showed no change. The 2% tea also reduced liver tumor incidence induced by NNK from 34% in the group given only deionized water to 12%. The tumor incidence in the nasal cavity, however, was not affected by either black tea or caffeine at any of the concentrations tested. The most unexpected finding was the remarkable reduction of the lung tumor incidence, from 47% to 10%, in the group treated with 680 ppm caffeine, a concentration equivalent to that found in the 2% tea. This incidence is comparable to background levels seen in the control group. This study demonstrated for the first time in a 2-year lifetime bioassay that black tea protects against lung tumorigenesis in F344 rats, and this effect appears to be attributed, to a significant extent, to caffeine as an active ingredient of tea.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Coffee, tea, and lifestyle.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have indicated that coffee drinking is associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, compared with tea drinking, which may confound the effect in relation to coronary risk factors. METHODS: In a population sample of 2,400 25- to 64-year-old men and women, associations of lifestyle factors with coffee and tea consumption were analyzed. Lifestyle factors were related to four realms of behavior: smoking, eating, drinking, and physical activity. RESULTS: Overall response rate exceeded 77%. Twenty-two behavioral factors were included in the analysis and controlled for age and sex. Mean daily cigarette consumption, the consumption of main fat sources (meat and sausages) and lemonade drinking increased with coffee and decreased with tea consumption. Conversely, intake of fresh fruits, drinking of juice or mineral water, and physical activity on the way to work decreased with coffee and increased with tea. The strongest associations were between coffee, than tea, and cigarette smoking. Controlling smoking (and physical activity) changed trends mainly with respect to alcoholic drinks. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that drinking coffee is positively associated with factors that promote coronary heart disease, while drinking tea is associated with a preventive lifestyle. Factors supporting these results were found located in all realms of lifestyle for both for coffee and tea. Therefore, investigations on the health effects of coffee and tea must be carefully controlled for confounding behavioral parameters.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Inhibitory effect of green tea infusion of hepatotoxicity].

We first showed a drinking of green tea infusion can inhibit chemically induced possible hepatic tissue damages in animal experiments, although it has been shown that oral administration of green tea extract can inhibit some organ toxicities. In this review, our data are summarized and a possibility of the effectiveness in humans is discussed. Male rats or mice in the series of experiments were given 2% green tea infusion as a drinking water 1 or 2 weeks before the chemical treatment and until the termination. In the study of rats, green tea effectively inhibited the hepatotoxicity induced by a single intraperitoneal injection or by repeated gavage administration of 2-nitropropane, and a single intraperitoneal injection of galactosamine. However, any possible effects were not observed when green tea was given, on the hepatotoxicity by a single or repeated gavage administration of carbon tetrachloride. In the study of mice, green tea inhibited the hepatotoxicity induced by administration of pentachlorophenol in diet. In conclusion, 2% green tea infusion can prevent the hepatotoxicity by at least some chemicals in experimental animals. It is inferred that the amount of green tea taken by animals in this experiment might be equivalent to the daily intake in Japanese general population, by calculation based on the content of epigallocatechin gallate, a major component of green tea, and the species differences between experimental animals and humans, suggesting the preventive effectiveness in humans.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Green tea: Health benefits as cancer preventive for humans.

Green tea is an acknowledged cancer preventive in Japan. The aim of this review article is to develop the concept of cancer prevention with green tea beverage for humans, which has largely been our exclusive research territory. This paper briefly reviews several topics, beginning with the introduction of our initial work on penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main constituent of green tea extract. The mechanisms of EGCG action, particularly the reduction of TNF-alpha are discussed, and we show how use of 3H-EGCG revealed a wide range of target organs for cancer prevention. The results of an epidemiological study in Saitama Prefecture allowed us to determine the cancer preventive amount of green tea-10 Japanese-size cups per day, about 2.5 g green tea extract-which made it possible for us to introduce the two-stage strategy of cancer prevention with green tea. The first stage is the delay of cancer onset for the general population. The second stage is the prevention of recurrence of cancer for patients following cancer treatment. Combination cancer prevention with green tea and cancer preventive drugs is proving especially beneficial for Japanese, who drink green tea every day. And finally, the stimulating comments of Prof. Jim Watson have encouraged green tea scientists.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2000

Efficacies of tea components on doxorubicin induced antitumor activity and reversal of multidrug resistance.

Considering of novel biochemical modulation by some foods and beverages, we have performed screening for green tea components that have enhancing effects on doxorubicin (DOX) induced antitumor activity. Components, such as caffeine, theanine, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and flavonoids have inhibitory effects on the DOX efflux from Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells. Thus, it is suggested that EGCG and flavonoids may enhance DOX induced antitumor activity and increase the DOX concentrations in tumors through the inhibition of DOX efflux. It is expected that these components in green tea exhibit low toxicity and that there are few side effects of drinking green tea in combination with an antitumor agent. We think that the intake of a favorite beverage favors a positive mental attitude of a patient and increases the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic index, and that this efficacy is useful for improving the quality of life on cancer chemotherapy. In DOX resistant P388 leukemia cell bearing mice theanine increased the DOX induced efficacy through an increase in the DOX concentrations in the tumors. Theanine attacked the same transport process for DOX in both types of cells, elevated the DOX concentration and increased the DOX induced antitumor activity.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed2004

Food and nutrient intake in East and West Germany, 8 years after the reunification--The German Nutrition Survey 1998.

OBJECTIVE: To explore differences in food and nutrient intake as well as cardiovascular risk factors between the eastern and western parts of Germany in 1998 and to compare food consumption information between 1991 and 1998. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: In all, 4030 people, aged 18-79 y, sampled from the East and West parts of Germany participated in the German Nutrition Survey (1998) by completing dietary histories and being assessed for cardiovascular risk factors. In a separate analysis, two food frequency data sets were compared from National Health Surveys conducted in 1991 (n = 7466) and in 1998 (n = 4556). RESULTS: In 1998, East Germans consumed more bread, fruit, fish, sausage, offal, and men additionally more cakes/cookies, beer and soft drinks than West Germans. They consumed less cereals, pasta, sweets, leafy vegetables, tea and drinking water, and men less vegetables and wine and women less pastry/crackers, potatoes and animal fat compared with their counterparts in West Germany. East Germans had a higher intake of total vitamin A, retinol, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and chloride, and in addition men of alcohol, and women of monosaccharides. They had a lower intake of total water, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium and manganese, and men of linoleic acid, and women of vitamin E than their West German counterparts. In East Germany, higher mean systolic blood pressure, and total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were found in men, and a lower mean total serum cholesterol concentration found in women compared with West Germany. CONCLUSION: Differences in food intake between the eastern and western parts of Germany still existed in 1998, although these differences were smaller than those observed 1 y after the reunification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

['Licorice hypertension' also caused by licorice tea].

A 41-year-old woman, who presented with (apparent) essential hypertension, was treated with atenolol and candesartan. This treatment, however, was unsuccessful. After the addition of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) to the combination, she developed hypokalaemia with muscle cramps and weakness. This hypokalaemia persisted for more than 4 weeks after discontinuation of HCT and starting potassium suppletion. As a result of polyuria (> 4000 ml/day) found in a 24-hour urine collection, it was discovered that the patient drank at least 3 litres of liquorice tea a day. She had denied eating liquorice sweets, a well-known cause of hypertension in the Netherlands, but no one had thought of asking her if she drank liquorice tea. Blood pressure and serum potassium normalized about 2 months after she stopped drinking liquorice tea, and medication was withdrawn. In a patient presenting with hypertension and hypokalaemia, who denies eating liquorice sweets, one should consider the consumption of other products containing liquorice such as liquorice tea. In the Netherlands liquorice tea is increasingly popular and has recently become available on a large scale. Therefore more cases such as the one described may be expected in coming years.

Adult↗