Combating Cancer With a Cup of Tea

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Article Title:

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Combating Cancer With a Cup of Tea

Article Description:

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Generations of families in India and Asia have been turning to

tea to cure what ails them. Back in the year 1191, a Zen priest

penned a work entitled the Book of Tea, which told how green tea

could benefit at least five vital organs, including the heart. At

that time, green tea was thought to improve urinary and brain

function, combat beriberi disease, and alleviate indigestion. In

other words, green tea was considered to be a multi-purpose

elixir, able to treat a wide variety of health problems.

Additional Article Information:

===============================

832 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-05 15:24:00

Written By: Marcus Stout

Copyright: 2006

Contact Email: mailto:Marcus.Stout@...

For more free-reprint articles by Marcus Stout, please visit:

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Combating Cancer With a Cup of Tea

Copyright © 2006 Marcus Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

Generations of families in India and Asia have been turning to

tea to cure what ails them. Back in the year 1191, a Zen priest

penned a work entitled the Book of Tea, which told how green tea

could benefit at least five vital organs, including the heart.

At that time, green tea was thought to improve urinary and brain

function, combat beriberi disease, and alleviate indigestion. In

other words, green tea was considered to be a multi-purpose

elixir, able to treat a wide variety of health problems.

But this ancient remedy has now found a place in modern

scientific literature, thanks to a new wave of studies on the

medicinal properties of green tea. While studies on human

subjects have been inconclusive, initial evidence from the

laboratory looks incredibly promising.

While green tea can be beneficial in attacking everything from

high cholesterol to depression, it has perhaps gotten the most

attention for its impact on cancer. In order to understand the

significance of this, it is first necessary to have some

knowledge of the disease of cancer itself.

Cancer: A Disease of the Genes

When cancer occurs, cells divide uncontrollably, meaning that the

genes controlling cell growth have been damaged in some way. In

fact, a gene has to mutate a number of times before a typical

cell will change into a cancer cell.

Antioxidants are important because they can stop the enzyme

activities that give rise to cancer. In essence, they repair DNA

problems which have been caused by oxidants, or free radicals.

Green Tea " " A Natural Antioxidant

Green tea has been considered a godsend for good health because

it contains antioxidants known as catechins. These substances

have been called impressive inhibitors of cancer growth.

Here " s how they do it: lab tests show that they combat

oxidants prior to cell injuries, stop the growth of tumor cells,

and reduce the occurrence of tumors.

For instance, mice tumors were found to shrink when the lab

animals ingested green tea. This phenomenon occurred whether the

cancer affected the liver, the skin, or the stomach.

Green Tea and Cancer Prevention

In an article which appeared in the Journal of Cellular

Biochemistry, authors Santosh Katiyar and Hasan Mukhtar noted

that the special properties found in tea can help prevent cancer,

according to the experimental data available. This is

significant, considering the wide availability of tea. As the

authors recognize, tea is grown in about 30 different countries

and it " s considered to be the most popular beverage

worldwide.

Most scientific studies using tea have focused on the therapeutic

effects of green tea. In these lab tests, the green tea is fed

to mice as an extract in water or in a purified form. Green tea

has even been found to have some positive medicinal effect before

birth in the womb.

A Variety of Uses

Interestingly enough, medical research shows that the benefits of

green tea are not limited to combating only one type of cancer.

In fact, consuming green tea may help prevent the development of

cancers of the stomach, lungs, esophagus, pancreas, liver,

breast, and colon.

Still, even researchers admit that the reasons behind green

tea " s broad therapeutic effects are not clear. A number of

theories have been put forward " " theories which require further

investigation.

The Effects of Tea Drinking on Human Beings

Much of what we know about green tea " s effects comes from

animal studies. While some research indicates that tea drinkers

are less prone to cancer, other studies offer a conflicting view.

This may be because there are a number of environmental factors

which can contribute to the development of cancer, including

diet, carcinogens in one " s living space, and the like.

Still, in China, where green tea is particularly popular,

research results are encouraging. A study of more than 18,000

Chinese men found that tea drinkers were far less likely to

experience stomach cancer than non-tea drinkers. Yet, a

Netherlands study involving tens of thousands of men and women

indicated there was no link between drinking tea and cancer

prevention.

The Continuing Medical Debate

The debate over the health benefits of green tea continues at the

highest levels of government and academia. For instance, the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration asserts that green tea does not

reduce the risk of breast, prostate, or any other type of cancer.

The FDA also states that green tea does not reduce the risk of

cardiovascular disease.

However, a study published in the fall of 2006 in the Journal of

the American Medical Association directly contradicts the

FDA " s contentions. That study indicated that drinking three

or more cups of green tea could reduce the risk of death from

heart disease.

Future Research Possibilities

Yet, there is a continued push toward additional research of the

green tea phenomenon. For instance, the National Cancer

Institute is especially interested in exploring the ability of

green tea to prevent skin cancer. Researchers are examining the

effects of both green tea in pill form and green tea creams

applied directly to the skin.

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Marcus Stout is the President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea

carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly

and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about

their current tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea, black tea, oolong tea (also

known as wu-long and wu long tea - http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long) and

chai. Visit http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning the Golden

Moon Tea Company's fine line of teas.