More Good News About Green Tea
A new study published in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry has added further credence to the growing body of evidence that drinking green tea can have a protective effect against breast cancer.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Gail Sonenshein of the Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health conducted a series of experiments on laboratory rats with breast cancer and found that the animals given water containing green tea had significant reductions in the size of their tumors.
Furthermore, they found that the tumors of the green tea-consuming rats developed later and were less invasive than those induced in rats drinking only water.
The scientists fed one group of rats green tea along with a chemical known to induce breast cancer and compared them to controls given only water and the cancerous chemical. They found that the tumors took longer to develop in the green tea group and weighed an average of 70 percent less when they developed.
The authors suggested that the polyphenols contained in green tea are strong antioxidants, which have been shown to have powerful protective effects against a number of cancers, including breast cancer. Antioxidants protect against cell damage, which can be a precursor to cancer.
While data from laboratory studies cannot always be extrapolated to humans, numerous large-scale demographic studies have shown lower rates of breast cancer in countries where green tea is consumed daily.
For example, cancer rates in Asian countries are dramatically lower than in the West. While there may be several factors in Asian diets that contribute to lower cancer rates, green tea certainly appears to be one of them. While studies have yet to be performed on how much tea individuals would need to drink to derive benefit, experts note that the Chinese drink green tea throughout the day. But even a cup a day may help.
A number of recent studies have suggested that, after controlling for other known risks, green tea consumption could lower the risk of certain cancers by as much as 20 percent or more. But the bulk of scientific research suggests that black tea does not provide the same preventive benefit.
Green tea, composed mainly of leaves, is steamed or fired prior to being rolled. Oolong and black teas get their color and flavor from additional processing-which may in turn reduce their cancer-fighting benefits.
Should green tea become a staple in your diet? While further research may confirm whether there are some cancer-preventive benefits, the exact level of protection is still uncertain. However, unlike some other dietary supplements, there appear to be no known side effects from green tea consumption.
Therefore, drinking green tea certainly can't hurt, and it may in fact help-possibly significantly-in the prevention of breast, digestive and other cancers.
SOURCES:
Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, July 2001