Green Tea’s Cancer Fighting Properties

Green Tea is not the same as the black tea because the active ingredients that are beneficial in a tea remains unaltered because it does not go the fermentation process.  It has been popular as a good home remedy for many conditions that involve cleansing of the body such as digestion and detoxification.  It is also known to treat depression and to enhance the immune system and consequently, even prolong life.

However the benefits of Green Tea is more extensive.  It is also used these days with circulatory conditions such as atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.  It is also popular among weight watchers as a good way to lose weight because of its benefits both in the digestive function and in burning fats.  However, one of the more welcome benefits of Green Tea in a time where our generation seems to be susceptible to the big C is that – its ability to reduce the risk for certain cancers.

Green Tea as Anti Cancer

A study made in Japan by Dr Toru Naganuma found out that 5 cups of green tea a day greatly lowers the chances of getting certain types of blood cancers and gastric cancer.  It is because of the ability of the green tea to perform four important activities in the gastrointestinal tract.  For one, it was found out that it could activate the intracellular antioxidants, which are the ones that fight off the free radicals in our bodies.

This free radicals that floats in our body are from almost anything such as the food we eat or exposure to pollution, hazardous wastes and even from the daily stresses we get each day at the office or at home.  The ability of the antioxidants in our body to fight off these free radicals is one of the basic steps to reduce the risk to cancer.  Additionally, it also inhibits the formation of procarcinogen and it restrains the proliferation of the cancer cells.
The study also suggests that green tea could also have the ability to protect against some other forms of cancer particularly esophageal cancer or cancer of the esophagus, lung cancer, breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.  One of the active flavonoids of green tea, the catechins is the good stuff here.

This is a good breakthrough especially in these times that we are always exposed to free radicals that makes us susceptible to one of the fastest rising major cause of death of this generation – always the dreaded cancer.

So drink up your green tea and look forward to prolong a healthy life.