Green Tea Against the 3 Big Killers

Who would have thought that a simple little cup of green tea could be so powerful?

Once again we will discover that the amazing anti-oxidant in green tea known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) packs a wallop against the 3 big killers: cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Protects against Cancer

Green tea battles cancer in some remarkable ways and most of these anti-cancer effects occur because of EGCG.

First of all green tea’s phytonutrients stimulate the production of more detoxification enzymes in our bodies and increase the activity of those enzymes according to research performed at the National Cancer Institute. That alone would convince me to drink green tea to kick potential carcinogens out of my body.

Cancerous cells crop up in our bodies periodically. When we eat clean and live a healthy lifestyle our body gets rid of them before they can find a place to root and grow. But if cancer cells find a place to land and multiply green tea can thwart them again by interfering with their ability to form new blood vessels. Without those blood vessels to bring nutrients to the cancerous cells they cannot continue to grow.

On top of that green tea nutrients can affect the genes of the cancer cells by turning off the ones that instruct the cells to grow and turning on the genes that give suicide messages to the cancer cells.

ECGC does another sneaky little trick. Instead of working as an anti-oxidant inside the cancer cell, it acts like a free radical (pro-oxidant) causing so much damage that the cancer cells self-destruct.

Another amazing trick: ECGC can turn on genes in cancer cells that tell them to return to normal cells.

Numerous research studies have provided evidence that green tea may have a beneficial effect on or help prevent a variety of cancers including: ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, brain tumors in children, lung cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

Then there’s the second big killer…

Green tea’s Effect on Heart disease

Free radical damage to the lining of the arteries (endothelium) sets the stage for the development of atherosclerosis (plaque build-up) that can eventually compromise the blood flow to an organ. The antioxidants in green tea inhibit enzymes that produce those free radicals effectively helping prevent the atherosclerotic process that leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Japanese researchers in one study were so impressed with green tea’s effect on decreasing coronary artery disease that they said, “The more green tea patients consume the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease.”

In other studies researchers discovered that green tea decreases:

• LDL cholesterol
• Triglycerides (blood fats)
• Fibrinogen (that may trigger abnormal clotting and block an artery)
• Lipid peroxides (free radicals that damage LDL cholesterol and other fats)

And it improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol (a good thing).

Basically, green tea acts over all as a dilator for the arteries, making them more flexible and less likely to clog from plaque or clots.

In addition, green tea drinkers exhibited lower blood pressure.

If that’s not enough help against heart disease, it also helps improve diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease.

Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetes

Once again the free radical quenching ability of ECGC and other anti-inflammatory catechins in green tea protect the cells from damage that leads to diabetes. Drinking green tea improves sugar tolerance and helps the cells become more sensitive to insulin.

The hormone insulin opens the “door” to the cell so the sugar (glucose) coming from the blood can enter the cell to provide fuel for energy production. But inflammatory (junk food) diets build abnormal cell membranes. Then insulin cannot be as effective in opening the “door” of the cell. Medically speaking this is called insulin insensitivity.

Through animal and human studies researchers have discovered that green tea:

•  Increases the body’s ability to metabolize glucose
• Helps ameliorate the effects of eating a high fructose diet which causes high blood sugar, high insulin levels, and high blood pressure
• Decreases blood glucose by activating genes that reduce the amount of messenger RNA that stimulates the liver to produce enzymes that generates glucose
•  Reduces blood levels of: Fasting blood sugar, Insulin levels in blood (most adult onset diabetics have high insulin blood levels) and Triglycerides

Wow! And that’s a very concise review of the fabulous effects of green tea on cancer, heart disease and diabetes. If you would like more indepth information and a review of some of the research papers on green tea, then take a look at these links:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146#healthbenefits

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea?page=3

And we’re not through yet! Coming up next: Green Tea and Weight Loss, Exercise and Stress.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo