Does Green Tea Help Cancer

Oolong Tea Drinkers And Breast Cancer Risk

Additionally, the scientists examined annual cancer registry data from China and the Fujian province and found that people in the latter area were 35 percent less likely to have breast cancer and 38 percent less likely to die from it compared with the national average.

They also noted that people who consumed large amounts of oolong tea on a regular basis were 25 percent less likely to develop breast cancer compared with the average incidence in the Fujian province and 50 percent less likely compared with the national average.

Finally, compared with the national average, high consumers of oolong tea were 68 percent less likely to die prematurely.

It is clear that more study is needed, Huang says. However, he lower incidence and mortality in regions with higher oolong tea consumption indicate that oolong tea has great potential for its anti-cancer properties.

From our results, concludes Huang, oolong tea, much like green tea, plays a role in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth, proliferation, and tumor progression.

Teas Value As A Cancer Therapy Is Steeped In Uncertainty

A reviving cup of tea is one of lifes pleasures a tonic for the problems of daily life. But some people think that this refreshing beverage could have much greater restorative properties: there is evidence that tea, or some of its chemical components, can guard against cancer. The prospect is tantalizing, but after decades of population-based health studies, and even clinical trials in cancer patients, the scientific community is still far from a clear-cut answer.

Early hints of the potential of tea green tea in particular as a means of cancer prevention come from observations of geographical differences in cancer incidence, and efforts to identify lifestyle factors associated with these differences. Population studies clearly show that the rates of clinically evident prostate cancer are much lower in Asian countries especially in Japan and China, where 35% of the worlds tea is consumed, says Nagi Kumar, a cancer-prevention researcher at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Those were the initial studies that got us started.

Use For Breast Cancer Prevention

Many studies have looked at the role of green tea and breast cancer prevention. Not all of them have found an association between drinking green tea and lower breast cancer risk, but some of the largest, most credible studies have.

In the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Screening Trial, which included more than 100,000 people, researchers found that those who consumed green tea had a lower overall risk of cancer; in other words, it appeared to reduce the risk of any cancer. Whereas some studies have looked at very large amounts of green teasay, drinking 30 cups dailythis study looked at people who drank just one daily cup of green tea.

A 2017 study looked at breast density in women given a supplement of EGCG for one year. High breast density is linked with an elevated risk of breast cancer. While the supplement didn’t change breast density in older women, it significantly decreased it in young women. The effect was similar to that of tamoxifen, a drug that’s sometimes used to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk individuals.

The researchers concluded that further studies should be done on the role of green tea in reducing breast cancer risk in young women.

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May Help You Live Longer

Given that some compounds in green tea may help protect against cancer and heart disease, it makes sense that it could help you live longer.

In one study, researchers studied 40,530 Japanese adults over 11 years. Those who drank the most green tea 5 or more cups per day were significantly less likely to die during the study period (

• Death of all causes: 23% lower in women, 12% lower in men
• Death from heart disease: 31% lower in women, 22% lower in men
• Death from stroke: 42% lower in women, 35% lower in men

Another study involving 14,001 older Japanese individuals found that those who drank the most green tea were 76% less likely to die during the 6-year study period .

Summary

General Health Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea

Different studies have shown that hibiscus tea;have multiple health benefits. Some of the benefits of consuming hibiscus tea are listed below:

• Helps in; lowering blood pressure;
• Helps in fighting bacteria;
• Helps in weight loss

Some in vitro and in vivo studies suggest an antimicrobial effect of hibiscus tea, but lack human studies to establish this health benefit.

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How You Have It

Green tea, like other teas on the market, comes as ready-made tea bags or leaves. You add boiling water to it.

There are different views on how many cups you should drink each day to get a possible benefit. Manufacturers often suggest having between 3 and 5 cups a day.

Most green teas contain caffeine. So, it will act as a stimulant and keep you awake if you drink it before going to bed. Some manufacturers sell decaffeinated green tea. It is uncertain whether removing the caffeine could reduce the possible antioxidant effects.

EGCG, the helpful substance in green tea, is available as green tea extract. People take it as a supplement in liquids, tablets or capsules.

Manufacturers sell green tea as a herbal supplement in most countries. So, manufacturers dont have to prove that they are safe or even that they have any health benefits.

This means that the product or dose might not have been through tests to see if it works. Keep this in mind when buying supplements.

Tea And Cancer Prevention 101

Tea is thought to have many health benefits, from keeping you hydrated to supporting weight-loss and reducing dental cavities.

Tea may also reduce your risk for illnesses like heart disease and cancer. ;

But there are so many types of tea, and they dont all offer the same benefits. So, how do you pick the best one?

Heres what to know about tea and cancer prevention.

Real teas all come from the same plant

When youre at the grocery store, you will likely be greeted by a wall of teas. But not all of them are real tea, which is caffeinated.

If the front of the box or ingredients list black, green or white tea, you’ve found a true tea. Same for matcha, which is powdered green tea.

All of these come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The only difference is how the leaves are processed.

Tea leaves are left to oxidize, or ferment, after they are picked, and the different types represent different levels of oxidation, says wellness dietitian Lindsey Wohlford. The process is stopped early for green tea. Black teas, meanwhile, are allowed to fully oxidize before being dried and used as tea leaves.

The amount of time tea oxidizes impacts how much caffeine it has. Green tea usually has the least caffeine, and black tea, the most. They all have less caffeine than coffee.

Teas potential benefits come from antioxidants

Most of the research on tea and cancer prevention has focused on the natural antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate, EGCG.

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Does The National Cancer Institute Recommend The Use Of Tea To Prevent Cancer

NCI is a research institution. It develops evidence-based research results for others to interpret. In general, therefore, NCI does not make recommendations about specific medical or dietary interventions.

Moreover, as noted above, the evidence regarding the potential benefits of tea consumption in relation to cancer is inconclusive at present.

Selected References

Other Health Benefits Of Green Tea

Green tea has long been hailed for its many health benefits.

The century-old drink is used to increase mental alertness, lower cholesterol levels, assist with weight loss and protect skin from sun damage.

Green tea also is used as a supplement to aid in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers, including those of the skin, breast, stomach and lung.

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General Health Benefits Of Black Tea

Like green tea, black tea also contains antioxidants and has similar health benefits. Mentioned below are some of the health benefits of black tea :

• Helps in reducing the risk of stroke;
• Helps in reducing inflammation in the body
• Helps to improve cardiovascular/heart health
• Helps to improve gum and teeth health
• Helps in reducing blood pressure
• Helps in reducing diabetes/lowering blood sugar levels;

Unlike green tea, a limited number of human intervention studies have been carried out on regular intake of black tea to demonstrate its anti-cancer benefits/chemopreventive potential. Some of these studies are summarized below.

Are There Safety Considerations Regarding Tea Consumption

Tea as a food item is generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Safety studies have looked at the consumption of up to 1200 mg of EGCG in supplement form in healthy adults over 1- to 4-week time periods . The adverse effects reported in these studies included excess intestinal gas, nausea, heartburn, stomach ache, abdominal pain, dizziness, headache, and muscle pain . In a Japanese study, children aged 6 to 16 years consumed a green tea beverage containing 576 mg catechins or 75 mg catechins for 24 weeks with no adverse effects . The safety of higher doses of catechins in children is not known.

Aluminum, a neurotoxic element, is found in varying quantities in tea plants. Studies have found concentrations of aluminum in infusions of green and black teas that range from 14 to 27 micrograms per liter to 431 to 2239 g/L . The variations in aluminum content may be due to different soil conditions, different harvesting periods, and water quality . Aluminum can accumulate in the body and cause osteomalacia and neurodegenerative disorders, especially in individuals with renal failure . However, it is not clear how much of the aluminum in tea is bioavailable, and there is no evidence of any aluminum toxicity associated with drinking tea .

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Cancer Stem Cells In Mouse Skin Carcinogenesis

EGCG and green tea extract inhibit the growth of human cancer cell lines in culture and in rodents . Since inhibition of tumor promotion by EGCG is assumed to be strongly related to the non-toxic downregulation of CSCs, we gathered numerous reports from a search of PubMed and published our review article of the literature to provide a broad selection for the effects of EGCG on about 20 human CSCs enriched from cancer cell lines . In the next section, the expression of stemness markers in colorectal and nasopharyngeal CSCs will be introduced as examples, followed by the decrease or increase in stemness markers of human breast, lung and colorectal CSCs by EGCG.

How A Green Tea Antioxidant Helps Fight Cancer

Green tea has many health benefits, but how does it work? New research reveals one mechanism behind green teas anti-cancer properties.

Green teaone of the most popular drinks worldwidehas many health benefits, and its potential anti-cancer activity has received increasing research attention. Green tea has been reported to prevent or inhibit various types of cancer, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. But how does green tea achieve this?

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found a way a green tea antioxidant helps fight cancer.

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Top Herbal Teas For Preventing Cancer

In the modernera, thousands of individuals all around the world are using Essiac tea as a leading alternativemedication for helping them in reaching remission effectively. A recent studyanalyzed that around 15 percent of women in Canada having breast cancer madeuse of Essiac for treating their condition. Research reveals that Essiac hassome healthy compounds that provide protection to the DNA from damage whileinfluencing the immune system of the body.

In a 2006study, it was found by the National Institute for Occupational Safety &Health that Essiac is rich in its antioxidant properties. The study alsorevealed that Essiac also protected the DNA from the potential free radicaldamage. The effect of DNA protection might not repair the damage already causeddue to cancer, but it can turn out to have a preventative effect on thelong-term use of this compound.

Teas areherbal compounds that have a myriad of health benefits along with preventingcancer.

Delayed Cancer Onset Revealed By 10

Nakachi and Imai found a total of 419 cancer patients, 175 females and 244 males, during 10 years, from a survey living habits of 8,552 individuals aged over 40 living in Saitama Prefecture, including their daily consumption of green tea . They reported that cancer onset in female patients who had consumed over 10 Japanese-size cups of green tea per day was 7.3 years later than that of patients who had consumed less than three cups per day . The difference between females and males may be partly due to higher tobacco consumption by males. Consuming over 10 cups of green tea per day also significantly prevented lung cancer, with a relative risk of 0.33, followed by cancers of the colorectum, liver and stomach, in that order . Results of two research groups: Green tea catechins at 600 mg per day were effective for treating premalignant lesions before prostate cancer development, research conducted at University of Parma, Italy : and green tea extract showed preventive effects on oral premalignant leukoplakia in patients, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center .

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Green Tea With Turmeric And Ginger

Instead of waking up with;a steaming cup of English breakfast tea, brew this favorite blend of;Rachel Beller, MS, RDN. This spiced;beverage may help lower the risk of pancreatic cancer;thanks to the use of green tea, which has a high concentration of cancer-fighting compounds and has been shown in lab studies to inhibit abnormal tumor cell growth. The addition;of turmeric root, which inhibits inflammatory pathways in cancer cells, and;ginger, which has potent anti-cancer properties, will give you an even greater;boost in resisting the disease.;

How Can Tea Help In Preventing Cancer

Amongst a wide range of biological activities, some of the predominant polyphenols that are found in green tea along with the thearubigins and theaflavins in black teas tend to have rich antioxidant properties. The available ingredients, including ECG & EGCG tend to feature significant free radical killing activity and help in protecting the cells in the body from potential DNA damage that might be caused by species of reactive oxygen.

The polyphenols in teas are known to inhibit cancer cell proliferation while inducing apoptosis in animal studies and lab studies. In other forms of animal studies as well as laboratory studies, tea catechins are known to inhibit angiogenesis as well as tumor cell invasiveness. Moreover, tea polyphenols can also help in protecting the damage caused due to UV B radiation. They might even help in modulating the function of the bodys immune system. To top it all, green teas have been observed to activate the detoxification enzymes in the body, including quinone reductase and glutathione S-transferase. These vital enzymes can help in providing protection against tumor development.

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Bladder Cancer And Green Tea

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy in 43 countries around the globe, although the incidence among men, women, and both sexes has decreased in 11, 10, and 12 countries, respectively . Bladder cancer imposes a substantial psychological, physical, and economic burden, and its prognosis is poor, despite various multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches, particularly in cases with muscle invasion and/or metastasis . Therefore, more detailed information will be useful for devising preventive and treatment strategies.

Many studies have focused on the clinical benefits of food choices in terms of chemoprevention, treatment, and survival in bladder cancer . Furthermore, complementary and alternative medicine , defined as a diverse medical and healthcare system, is recognized as a strategy commonly used by patients with malignancies, including bladder cancer . Green tea consumption and GTPs intake are suggested as CAM strategies .

Tips For Enjoying Green Tea

It has become easy to find green tea in the United States, thanks largely to well-publicized health benefits. When it comes to cancer benefits, though, there are a few guidelines to follow.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Be cautious about bottled green teas on store shelves. Many of them contain high amounts of sugar. Because excess sugar consumption can lead to obesity and obesity increases cancer risk, it’s not a good idea in general to add sugary beverages to your diet.
• So-called herbal teas are not true teas, meaning they don’t come from the Camellia sinensis plant. While some herbal infusions are made using medicinal plants, they do not have the same health effects as true teas.
• Be sure you brew green tea properly. It will make it taste better, but, more importantly, it’ll preserve the EGCG so your body can absorb the maximum amount.
• Green tea does contain caffeine, so be on the lookout for potential side effects, such as heart palpitations and nervousness, and adjust your consumption as needed. Decaffeinated green teas are available, as well.

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