Tea And Cancer

Yet another Japanese green tea study has shown impressive results indicating the reduction of blood and lymph cancers.

The research was undertaken by Tohoku University, which recorded a 42 percent reduction for blood cancers and 48 percent reduction for lymph cancers in subjects with high green tea consumption.

40,000 Japanese people from all gender, geography and age were studied over a ten-year period.

An increasing number of western studies too have found similar results. Some such outstanding works have been carried out and published by the Mayo Clinic of Minnesota, American Association for Cancer Research, department of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texa, and many more.

One common factor emerging is that tea or tea extracts has the potential to "prevent" development of malignancy, and to "supplement" and "complement" the normal couse of treatment. But one cannot cure cancer with tea alone, the studies have emphasised.

Technically, the research have found that EGCG, an antioxidant catechin which is found in abundance in tea, is the main ingredient responsible in inhibiting the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).

Catechins are active polyphenolic antioxidant metabolites in green tea. The DHFR enzymes they inhibit are needed by cancer cells to proliferate. Upon closer scrutiny of green tea ECGC, they determined that its molecular structure closely resembles that of the cancer drug methotrexate used in chemotherapy. The binding properties of EGCG is not as intense as the drug methotrexate. Therefore, the side effects of tea are minimal.

Caution:- EGCG binding to DHFR can inhibit the folic acid needed by women pregnant in their first trimester. This situation has been shown to increase the risk of her child being born with spina bifida or other fetal neurological disorders.

Because of this, it is recommended that women curb their green tea consumption just prior to pregnancy and during the first trimester.Note:- The studies have been carried out in some cases with "Black Tea", which is "Fermented" or "Oxidised", and in most cases with Green Tea, which is not "Fermented". Results are similar for both variants, but Green Tea is accepted the world over as the healthier of both options.

The following sources have been used in compiling this article:-
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health
http://www.whfoods.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health