Green tea and its impact on cancer
Go green when it comes to tea.
I’m excited to announce my first guest blog post! I have been incorporating green tea into my diet to fight cancer. So I asked Dr. Gary Huber, president of the LaValle Metabolic Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, to share his expertise on the topic:
Wow, talk about your unfair trade practices! Asia brought us green tea, and we sent them Ronald McDonald. I think they have grounds for a formal complaint. Green tea is one of the most amazing foods on this planet. It is the second-most consumed beverage in the world behind water, yet it’s just starting to make an impact in the U.S. There are more than 2,500 scientific studies involving green tea with such impressive findings that the National Cancer Institute is working to develop new cancer-fighting drugs using green tea compounds.
Green tea’s effects on cancer are monstrous, but allow me to summarize them briefly. The polyphenols in green tea are very unfriendly to cancer cells:
- They trigger apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells but not in normal healthy cells.
- Inhibit angiogenesis, cutting off the blood supply to cancer cells thereby starving them to death.
- Shut off the growth genes in cancer cells
- Inhibit overproduction of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, which plays a part in cancer growth.
- Decreases insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a compound linked to breast, prostate and colon cancer.
- Reduces the production of several compounds in cancer cells that are linked to cancer spread or metastasis.
The fact that green tea is healthy for us is not exactly front-page news these days. What has been known in Asian cultures for centuries is finally working its way around the world. But I bet there’s something you didn’t know. While I think green tea is a marvelous beverage and recommend it to everyone, did you know the great majority of nutrients, including the prized EGCG, stays locked in the leaf?
According to the USDA, only 1 percent of catechins’ antioxidants (of which EGCG is one) make it into a brewed cup. This may explain why numerous studies have shown green tea benefits in cultures where consumption exceeds 10 or even 15 cups a day. Those ready-to-drink varieties that are so popular at the corner store fare even worse, so don’t let the “green tea” stamp fool you.
What’s the best way to maximize the tremendous health benefits? Eat your green tea…whole. Yes, I said “eat” your tea. Consume it in a smoothie, throw it in stir- fry, find a whole food powder and mix it in water, but be sure to get the whole leaf goodness. Though tempting, I wouldn’t try opening tea bags from your local grocer. Typically these are made from pieces of low-quality tea scraps called “fannings” and are sometimes sprayed with fragrance. They are more heavily oxidized than high-grade loose leaf teas and powders that are better for you.
Sencha varieties are said to have the highest nutrient profile, so seek that variety. Also be sure to find an organic farm that grows in ideal conditions. Japan is known for the highest qualities. China- and Indian-grown teas can have trouble with pollution, so consider your source.
So to recap, green tea fights cancer at every level. Other than water, green tea is the only beverage consumed by humans that actually promotes health. Well, maybe red wine gets a plug in this category.
I would love to hear your experience and uses of green tea as I’m happy to share mine. Feel free to reach me at drhuber@healthyalterego.com
Also, all new subscribers to our website will receive my brand new e-book At http://www.healthyalterego.com.
Ashley says:
Okay – so now where to find the Sencha varieties.
And I’d love to know if the caffeinated vs. decaf impacts it. I mean even countries where they drink 10-15 cups a day – that is a ton of caffeine! May have to email Dr. Huber.
Jo says:
Organic sencha powders & loose leaf here:
http://www.EmeraldCityTea.com
Great post. Been eating green tea since I learned of its impact doing research for my sister’s breast cancer diagnosis.
I use the powder every day as an afternoon iced tea. No jitters, good focus and energy. Green tea has much less caffeine and the word is if you drink it cold it’s less bioavailable.
Roger says:
Ashley – the process of decaffeination causes much of the nutrients to be lost – so go 100% natural if you can.
I add green tea powder to my smoothie every day. Thanks for the post Tami! Good stuff.
Mabel says:
Yes, go 100% natural, avoid processed versions of the tea. And to really understand why and how much tea might be benefitial for fighting cancer, there’s an excellent book describing not only the benefits of green tea but also other foods and spices that are important to prevent tumor cells to grow and develop. The book is called Anticancer written by David Servan-Schreiver. Reading this book and following its suggestions really changed my life and my appproach for fighting cancer.
Roger says:
Ashley – the process of decaffeination causes much of the nutrients to be lost – so go 100% natural if you can.
I add green tea powder to my smoothie every day. Thanks for the post Tami! Good stuff.
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
tamilb says:
Thanks for the all the great comments on the topic. I have read Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiver and loved it. I was just talking about it with a friend over lunch. He talks a lot about creating a “healthy terrain” where cancer can’t grow. Check out my post for my take on it. http://www.tamiboehmer.com/2009/09/by-the-book/
tamilb says:
I just wanted to share that I drink a green tea called Dr. Lee’s Tea for Health. It was recommended by a naturapath and is an organic, specially cultivated loose green tea. It has up to 500 percent more EGCGs than found in other green teas and three cups a day is equivalent to 1.5 times the lowest effective anticancer does in a 154 lb person (according to the National Cancer Institute. I drink two cups a day in a special steeper they have.
Carol Jackovich says:
What is the difference between what you guys are talking about and matcha? (I saw matcha promoted on Dr. Oz the other day).