Cancer is one of our nation’s most frightening diseases. One million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 300 people will die from it each and every day. Scientists continue waiting for comprehension into the causes of cancer, so that we can prevent it. Moreover, work is continuing to discover effective methods of treating this disorder.
Nowadays
In recent decades, there have been a number of studies on green tea and its cancer preventing attributes. These studies have been fueled by evaluation of Asian cultures, where green tea is part of daily life, and in which the incidences of cardiovascular disease, cancer and stroke are much lower than in the rest of the world. Asian cultures have known for many years that green tea is effective in slowing down the aging process and preventing and treating disease.
Origins
All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant; white tea, green tea and black tea all come from the same source. The differences are a consequence of how the tea is processed. Green and white tea isn’t fermented during processing, but black tea is fermented. This fermentation process chemically changes the natural anti-oxidants that tea contains.
While even after fermentation, tea is very healthy; it’s the anti-oxidants in their most natural form that appear to have the greatest anti-aging and disease fighting attributes. Specifically, the catechins EGCG is among the most effective anti-oxidants you may consume.
Anti-oxidants
They are important to us because they fight free radicals which are naturally generated by our own body during the digestion procedure. These free radicals have to be removed or they will damage our cells and our DNA. A lack in anti-oxidants enables these free radicals to rule, causing us to age more quickly and develop diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease.
So, a diet full of anti-oxidants has been demonstrated effective in preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease, lowering cholesterol and lowering your risk of experiencing a stroke. Doctors recommend that we eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables for their anti-oxidant effectsnevertheless, we’re learning that one of the best ways to get your daily dose of anti-oxidants is via drinking green tea.
Good News!
As great as this information is for the prospects of preventing cancer, there’s even more exciting news. There’s evidence to indicate that not only may green tea prevent cancer, but may also be an effective treatment for cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated that tea – black and green – seem to slow the progression of cancer cells.
This specific study was done on pancreatic and prostate cancer cells. The cells were treated in vitro with extracts from green and black tea. The cells were subjected to tea extracts for a period of 24 hours. The growth of the cancer cells was inhibited by up to 90% during the period of vulnerability to the tea.
Genetical Help!
Along with these exciting benefits, this research also suggested that black and green tea can inhibit the expression of the gene called MDR-1. MDR-1 stands for multi-drug immune system. This gene expresses a drug resistant chemical into the tumor cells which diminishes the impact that treatment has on cells.
This study found that during the 24 hour period once the cells were subjected to the tea extracts, the quantity of MDR-1 expressed by the cancer cells was diminished. This leads us to the conclusion that using green tea together with traditional cancer therapies may increase the power of the cancer medication. There have been other studies, also, that have suggested that cancer drugs are more effective when they’re administered together with green tea.
Needless to say, as with a number of other findings, more research is necessary before we completely understand the advantages which may be obtained from using tea to prevent and cure cancer. Most of all, a number of these studies which have only been conducted on mice or in test tubes require human trials. Only then will we really understand how laboratory findings might translate into actual treatment and prevention choices.
Conclusion
One thing’s for certain, though; there’s not any downside to incorporating tea in your daily diet. Green tea, in particular, is refreshing, healthy and full of anti-oxidants. It’s a much healthier alternative to this morning cup of coffee, since it’s a high anti-oxidant level and since it’s considerably lower in caffeine than coffee.
Green tea is a wonderful way to help prevent disease and aging. Adding green tea to your diet is an easy and efficient method to boost your health and chances of living to a ripe old age. As the study evolves, there is no doubt that we will gain greater insight into precisely how green tea works and how we could best utilize its own power. But, in the meantime, you can rest assured that drinking green tea each day is a healthy habit.
