Green Tea Strengthens Effect of Standard Cancer Drug
Study description: Researchers from UCLA had
observed that green tea extract increased the ability of the drug
tamoxifen to inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells in test-tube
studies. They also found that the combination of green tea and tamoxifen
was more effective at spurring apoptosis, the "suicide" of breast cancer cells, than either tea or
the drug alone.
Taking the research one step further, a new study was
launched to find out if green
tea could also strengthen the effects of tamoxifen in animals. In this study, lab animals were treated with green tea extract, tamoxifen or both.
Type of study: Animal
What happened: The combination of green tea plus
tamoxifen was more powerful than either one alone in reducing tumor size and in
triggering apoptosis in laboratory animals. The animals
that were treated with green tea
plus tamoxifen had a smaller tumor size and experienced higher levels of
tumor cell "suicide" than those treated with either the drug or the
tea alone.
Researchers' conclusion: This study provides
evidence "that the combination of green tea and tamoxifen is more potent than
either agent alone in suppressing breast cancer growth."
Citation: Sartippour MR, Pietras R,
Marquez-Garban DC, et al. The combination of green tea and tamoxifen is
effective against breast cancer. Carcinogenesis 2006;27(12):2424-33. (Click here to read PubMed study
abstract.)
|
Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com, the most comprehensive collection of scientific
information describing the health benefits of green tea.
|
|
