Abundant scientific research has shown that drinking tea regularly, especially green and white tea, helps prevent the development of cancer and even kills a number of types of cancer cells.
Tea has been shown to help prevent and combat a wide variety of cancers, including:
• Colon cancer
• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Lung cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Hepatoma
• Bladder cancer
• Leukemia
• Myeloma
• Melanoma
Most colon cancers develop from a collection of cells within the lining of the colon. Continuous irritation and inflammation of these cells eventually results in a full-blown colon cancer.
This is why we see such high rates of colon cancer with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Vegetable oils (N-6 oils), carrageenan, high meat diets (especially seared meats) and MSG (as well as other additive food excitotoxins) also produce colon irritation and inflammation.
Studies have shown that EGCG, from green tea and white tea, prevented colon cancer in experimental animals exposed to powerful cancer-causing chemicals.
Studies in both humans and animals implanted with human colon cancers have shown that EGCG is a very powerful inhibitor. A recent study from Japan found that EGCG suppresses the metastasis of colon cancer. Other catechins from green and white tea also inhibited tumor invasion, which would significantly improve survival rates in cases of colon cancer.
It is well-known that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil), can significantly reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. This is because these medications block an enzyme (COX-2) necessary for tumor growth and invasion.
Another study found that EGCG inhibited both COX-2 and NFkappaB, both of which are vital to producing inflammation in the body. In fact, NFkappaB is essential for cancer growth.
Pharmaceutical companies are working at a breakneck speed to develop a drug that will specifically target these cancer-promoting enzymes. But God has already provided them for us in a number of vegetables, teas, and fruits. The concentration used to prevent colon cancer is equal to drinking two to three cups of strong white tea a day.
Studies have shown that women who drink green tea regularly, such as Asian-Americans, have a lower incidence of breast cancer. One study found that EGCG and green tea itself inhibited the growth and invasion of breast cancer.
Tea and its components slow the development of cancer by suppressing signaling molecules needed for cancer cell reproduction, and by blocking enzymes needed for tumor invasion. This not only helps prevent breast cancer, but should it develop, it would more likely be curable.
In addition, studies have shown tea has some benefit in preventing prostate cancers in humans as well as experimental animals.
Studies using a combination of the amino acids lysine, proline, arginine, as well as ascorbic acid and EGCG, found they inhibited the invasion and growth of prostate cancer and, at high doses, increased the killing of cancer cells (apoptosis).
Of particular interest is the discovery that green tea extract inhibited hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers.
A number of studies have shown that green tea extract, and especially EGCG, inhibits hematological cancers, like leukemia and multiple myeloma. (Multiple myeloma is a particularly nasty malignancy that has a high mortality rate even with chemotherapy treatments.)
These studies show that EGCG inhibits leukemia cell growth and triggers their death (apoptosis).
One method is by inhibiting an enzyme critical to leukemia cell growth. Another study found that EGCG stimulated the killing of multiple myeloma cells.
Likewise, a number of studies have shown EGCG curbs the invasion of bladder cancer and also reduces cancer growth.
Studies have also found that EGCG inhibits the development of lung cancer and reduces the
growth of lung cancers should they develop.
Ovarian cancers are also sensitive to the suppressive effects of EGCG. Careful studies have shown that EGCG inhibits ovarian cancer by a great number of methods, which makes it superior to conventional chemotherapy.
Finally, recent studies show that green tea may inhibit the formation of melanomas, which, as with most skin cancers, are related to UVB exposure, i.e., sunburns. When the skin is sunburned, it releases a great amount of nitric oxide, which forms some very nasty free-radicals. This triggers development of melanomas.
Green tea extract, both when taken orally and applied topically, can interfere with the production of nitric oxide by the skin. Green tea also contains a number of powerful antioxidants, including quercetin, which is a powerful weapon against the growth and spread of melanomas.
Green tea contains high amounts of quercetin.
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