The Benefits of Drinking Tea
Rutgers University has conducted a series of studies on the effect of both green and black tea on skin cancer in recent years. In one study, skin tumors were spawned in mice by exposing them to ultraviolet-B light and a cancer-causing chemical known as dimethylbenzanthracene. Of the tea-treated group, 65 to 93% evidenced fewer carcinomas, and 60 to 90% had less pre-cancerous skin lesions. A very recent trial study at the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine in Beijing involved oral and topical applications of black and green tea on subjects diagnosed with pre-cancerous oral lesions. The control group displayed a significant decrease in cell growth after six months of treatment.
Other recent studies to examine the cancer-inhibiting properties of tea have been carried out by the Mayo Clinic. Researchers have found that EGCG deters cell proliferation in human prostate cancer cells. Several studies using animal models, demonstrate that EGCG inhibits the growth of existing tumors, reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, and in one in vitro trial, offered antioxidant protection more than 200 times that of vitamin E.
Japanese studies indicates that supplementation with EGCG may help to prevent heart disease. Since the 1980s, studies have concentrated on the effect of catechin polyphenols, including EGCG, on blood cholesterol levels. Rats, fed a special diet designed to induce high cholesterol levels, showed reduced blood cholesterol and LDL concentration in addition to lower blood pressure when their diets were supplemented with tea catechins.
Numerous other studies show a correlation between the protective agents found in tea and a reduced risk associated with cancers involving the lungs, esophagus, prostate, colon and stomach.
Drink to Your Health
While there is still much to learn, western researchers are beginning to form the same conclusion that Chinese medicine has subscribed to for centuries - tea can help to keep you healthy. There may even come a time when tea extract preparations will be as common in the pantry as are free radical scavenging vitamin supplements. In the mean time, drink up. The research suggests that in addition to a low fat diet rich in whole foods, fruits and vegetables, as little as an average of five cups of tea each day may actually help to keep heart disease and certain types of cancer at bay.
References:
1. Chen J et al. "The Chemopreventative Effects of Tea on Human Precancerous Oral Mucosa Lesions," presented at the 2nd Annual Symposium on
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