Does green tea have cancer fighting properties? Many studies say yes! One of the greatest benefits of green tea is the way the ingredients help reduce the risk and spread of cancerous cells within the body.
You can use green tea as an additional natural remedy to help fight the spread of cancer. Green tea is used as a treatment for newly diagnosed cancer patients or those who are in the early stages. This is because green tea cannot be used as the main ingredient to heal.
For those who wish to prevent the risk of cancer or inhibit the spread of cancerous cells, then green tea may be just what you need. Green tea is derived from the shrub Camellia sinesis—a shrub commonly found growing throughout Asia.
What are the Health Benefits of Green Tea?
Green tea is widely consumed in Asian countries and researchers have reported an apparent lower incidence of prostate cancer in these areas of the world. It is speculated that this may be because populations in the east prefer plant foods.
Countless studies have been conducted to help understand the health benefits of green tea. Drinking green tea prevents cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, prostate and stomach.
Many who practice homeopathic medicine combine green tea or an extract form of its leaves to reduce the risk of heart attack, tooth decay, blood pressure, cholesterol and digestive problems, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
What Makes Green Tea So Healthy?
The polyphenols in green tea (GTP or Green Tea Polyphenols) give it antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are known to prevent the occurrence of free radicals in the body. The catechins in green tea also sometimes called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) cause cancerous cells to die rather than multiply and spread through replication.
EGCG is an antioxidant much more powerful than Vitamin C or Vitamin E. Cancers spread because of this mechanism that allows the cell to outlive healthy cells. The EGCGs inhibit the enzyme in the cell that is responsible for growth and kills the cancer without harming healthy cells.
Is there Proof Green Tea Helps Fight Cancer?
One study at Purdue University found that the presence of EGCG caused cancer cells to die before reaching minimum grown size to split into more cells. Because of this, they underwent programmed cell death—also known as apoptosis.
Another study by the University of Kansas in 1997 came to the conclusion that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol—an antioxidant made from plants and used to kill cancerous cells. EGCG works in that it inhibits the formation of chaotic blood vessels that prevent blood and oxygen from feeding the growth of affected cells.
A study with green tea showed that EGCG disrupts the metabolism of cancer cells and proved an effective medicine for those with pancreatic cancer. The study is found in the journal of Metabolomics. This means that without the ability to metabolize properly, cancer cells were unable to survive and multiply.
How does Green Tea as Cancer Prevention Work?
A study with Asian-American women found that those who drank green tea were at lower risk to form breast cancer than women who did not. In Asia, green tea is consumed by three or more cups a day on average. To achieve the right effect and health benefits from green tea, try either drinking green tea derived from an extract with less added sugar or ingesting it in capsule form.
You can brew green tea by using one to two teaspoons of dried tea leaves in a cup of hot water. Steep the tea for three to 15 minutes to allow for the natural flavor and cancer-fighting ingredients to be absorbed.
If you decide to go with the capsules, try taking three capsules a day.
What Else does Green Tea Do for You?
Green tea has also been found to improve circulation and heart conditions, and lower cholesterol. Some of the main health benefits of green tea are highly valued to those who have high blood pressure or other heart conditions such as congestive heart failure.
If you want to improve memory, green tea has also been linked to health of memory faculties. A study in Switzerland found that those who drink green tea displayed an MRI that revealed increased levels of activity in the memory regions of the brain.
For those with diabetes, green tea acts as a beneficial beverage for health purposes. Green tea has been linked to maintaining normal blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
If you’re conscious with green tea and its health benefits, you may also like to keep an eye on the things you eat—if so, then take a look at those seemingly innocent health foods that can kill you.
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