In the entire world, the number one killer is cancer. Because of this, scientists, medical doctors, and researchers have spent a tremendous amount of time trying to find ways of preventing this deadly disease.
As research became more intense, experts realized that they should investigate countries with low incidences of cancer to analyze why. In doing so, both China and Japan were studied since the people there seldom develop this deadly disease. It was found that in addition to eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with antioxidants that fight cancer, Asians also drink green tea daily that also contains antioxidants called polyphenols.
Therefore, this new discovery is that drinking two to three cups of green tea a day can help prevent cancer but for people with existing cancer, the antioxidants actually make traditional treatment more effective.
In-Depth Study of Green Tea
To make sure the initial studies were correct, researchers from the Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute in Japan by the names of Kei Nakachi, Kazue Imai, and Kenji Suga organized one particular study involving only Japanese. Therapeutic benefits of long-term consumption of loose green tea were analyzed in a publication called Cancer Preventative Effects of Drinking Green Tea Among a Japanese Population was released in a popular medical magazine.
One of the first things the researchers wanted to look at was EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate, a powerful antioxidant or anti-carcinogenic found in green tea. Numerous earlier studies had been done that suggested this ingredient in green tea was a key contributor to preventing various types of cancer. Although many studies included humans, the researchers felt additional research was still needed.
Because the focus was on Japanese and Chinese green tea specific to Asian people, they felt it made sense to conduct a more intensified study in this part of the world. As they gathered data from their independent study, they found that Japanese people that drank green tea on a daily basis were in fact at much lower risk of developing cancer than people that did not drink any green tea at all. The greatest support was among a group of Japanese women that drank 10 or more cups a day.
Preventing Cancer with Green Tea
The study went on to show that for both men and women that drank 8 to 12 cups of green tea a day, risk of cancer was the lowest. Another study was done that involved 384 people with confirmed diagnosis of cancer. By increasing the amount of green tea consumed daily, cancer was slower to develop. This study also had the greatest impact on women who drank 10 or more cups of the best green tea daily. The delay was an average of four years, which meant people that had been struggling with cancer prior now had four additional years of life, quality life.
Obviously, to people in other parts of the world, especially westernized countries, drinking 10 or more cups of green tea a day seems like overkill. After all, in North America, doctors strongly encourage people to drink 8 glasses of water every day and most people find that too difficult. Now, remember that in Asian countries, cups are smaller than in the western world so one cup was equivalent to 150 milligrams. As a result, these people were getting up to 400 milligrams of the cancer-fighting ingredient.
The Power of Green Tea
Although study after study has shown that green tea is in fact a healthy tea for preventing and fighting cancer, the discovery now is that green tea is far more powerful than earlier understood. In fact, new studies now show that the chemical structure of green tea is such that it can fight molecules caused by cancer associated with tobacco. This revolutionary discovery is so great that it was published by the American Chemical Society.
Researchers found that the components that produce EGCG found in green tea are very similar in makeup to substances found in broccoli, cabbage, grapes, and red wine. All of these foods, as well as green tea have the ability to inhibit the cancer-causing molecule, stopping the development of cancer.
The one area that still needs research is whether the same results found in a laboratory could be reproduced in a home setting. With this, instead of seeing the effectiveness on mice, it would be confirmed on humans in their own home. Another interesting finding is that different varieties of green tea offer different levels of protection. Again, more studies are needed on varieties to prove effectiveness in inhibiting the molecule.
Ongoing Research
Just from the Japan study, evidence presented leaves little doubt that drinking green tea on a daily basis can prevent and fight cancer. However, the next study that researchers want to perform is to identify if one or more vital organs in the body benefit more than others do from the components of green tea.
Since cancer comes in many forms such as breast, throat, stomach, colon, etc, the goal is to determine if the consumption of green tea is more effective to one form of cancer over another form. To date, testing done on mice in laboratory settings do show that EGCG can address a particular organ.
As you can see, information from studies already performed on the effects of green tea and cancer provides hope. Since green tea is delicious and many cultures, especially Asian cultures involve drinking green tea daily anyway, this is not a major change. The only real change would be for people in westernized countries that are more accustomed to drinking flowering tea or herbal tea.
A Safe Approach to Fighting Cancer
While drinking green tea as a means of preventing and fighting cancer is promising, some experts want to know if long-term there would be side effects to consider. The answer to this is no. Asians have been drinking green tea for thousands of years and they have the lowest incidences of cancer and the healthiest lives in the world.
Without doubt, green tea is an excellent option for the prevention of cancer. However, with this type of exotic tea being linked to so many other health benefits such as preventing heart disease, lowering high blood pressure, and neutralizing insulin, cancer prevention is a huge bonus.
Green Tea Benefits for the World
For some reason, a number of research groups have raised concern that green tea is only beneficial for preventing cancer in Asians. Coming to such a conclusion would not only be wrong but reckless. The truth is that if people in westernized countries were to drink green tea on a daily basis along with the Chinese and Japanese people, they too would experience the same health benefits.
If you look at grocery stores, health food stores, convenience stores, retail stores, and even online tea companies in North America, you would find a huge selection of green tea. Now, it comes down to encouraging other countries to increase consumption so they too can enjoy all the health benefits, especially prevention of cancer.
