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GREEN TEA AND VARIOUS TYPES OF CANCER
Back in the 1970’s, scientists studying large
populations began to wonder why people living in an area of Japan called
the Shizuoka Prefecture had much lower rates of cancer than those
living in other areas in Japan. The answer seemed to have something to
do with their consumption of green tea.
While the typical
Japanese person drank an average of 6-8 cups of green tea per day, those
who lived in the Shizuoka Prefecture, where green tea is grown, drank at
least twice that. In fact, they typically sipped cup after cup of green
tea throughout the day. Living there among the green tea fields, it was
so easy -- they just plucked a few leaves off a nearby bush and tossed
them into a freshly boiled pot of water! Could this be the reason they
had so little cancer?
Thus began the study of
green tea as a possible cancer fighter, and since then it has been
studied extensively. Its "secret" ingredients - the catechins - have now
been shown to fight cancer at every stage: initiation, activation and
progression.
1) Initiation:
Fighting cancer before it starts
During the initiation stage, a healthy cell is exposed to
cancer-causing substances (initiators) such as chemicals, ultraviolet
light, cigarette smoke or environmental pollutants. The initiator breaks
into the healthy cell, takes over its DNA, and alters the cell's
“instructions” that tell it how to behave. Green tea's catechins help
ward off cancer initiation by:
Protecting the body from
free radical damage, through antioxidant action
Interfering
with the binding of carcinogens to the DNA of the healthy cells
2) Activation:
Keeping cancer from "getting into gear"
After initiation, a cell may lie
quietly for weeks, months or even years, causing no real damage. But
during activation, the cell begins to multiply uncontrollably and
form a mass of tissue called a tumor. If the tumor is to survive, it
needs to establish a blood supply in order to feed itself. To do this,
it creates its own blood vessels and then hooks them up to the blood
vessels of nearby healthy tissues, a process called angiogenesis.
The catechins fight cancer at this stage by:
Preventing or inhibiting
cell multiplication
Inhibiting angiogenesis,
the growth of new blood vessels that will feed the tumor
3) Progression:
Slowing the growth and spread of tumors
During the third stage,
progression, the tumor invades healthy tissue, uses up nutrients,
and crowds out healthy cells. Eventually the tumor may destroy large
amounts of tissue, wreak havoc on organ systems, and cause disease or
even death. Green tea's catechins help ward off cancer during the
progression stage by:
Slowing tumor growth
Encouraging
cancer cells to “commit suicide” (apoptosis)
Green Tea: The
Cancer Fighter
While more study is needed before
we can say with certainty that green tea actually prevents cancer in
humans, the prospects look extremely promising.
This section looks at cancer in general: other sections on the
website examine the relationship between green tea and specific types of
cancer. To learn more about green tea and cancer in general, click on
some these key studies and expert opinions:
A SUMMARY OF KEY POPULATION STUDIES
Numerous Epidemiologic Studies Link Green Tea Consumption to Reduced
Risk of Cancer
EXPERT OPINION
1)
Epidemiologic and Lab Studies Say Green Tea Helps Reduce Cancer Risk
2)
Green Tea May Prolong Life
3)
Green Tea Helpful Before and After Cancer Strikes
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com,
the most comprehensive collection of scientific information
describing the health benefits of green tea.
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