Chai ya kijani inasaidia kukinga ugonjwa wa saratani, wachunguzi wamesema

[Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu]

Green Tea Shown to Protect against Digestive Cancer

Green tea may offer the solution (or at least part of a solution) in the prevention of digestive cancers, according to another study out of China.

Older women were analyzed for green tea consumption and cancer rates, and scientists found those who drank the tea on a regular basis were at a slightly lower risk for developing cancer of the colon, throat, and stomach.

The researchers followed nearly 70,000 Chinese women for a decade. Those who drank more than three cups of green tea daily were considered regular drinkers. And those women were at a reduced risk of digestive cancersa 14 percent reduced risk.

Senior researcher Dr. Wei Zheng cautioned that the study doesnt establish a cause-and-effect relationship. While the scientists did account for diet, exercise habits, and medical history, they say its impossible to account for everything.

Basically, its difficult to isolate the effects of a single food in any scientific trial. People eat other things, they may have different lifestyle habits, or they might be on prescription medications. They could get more sleep than other non-green-tea drinkers or simply take better care of themselves.

Still, this isnt the first or the last study on the benefits of green tea.

There is a good chance that people who drink green tea take better care of themselves. So, while we cannot be certain their health is due to the green tea and not simply better care overall, we do know that green tea (whether directly or indirectly), can improve health.

Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant believed to protect cells from damage by free-radicals or toxins. Its believed this is what could hold the key to the cancer prevention properties of the age-old elixir.

Its this EGCG that could also be responsible for stopping and even reversing cancer once its started. A study reported on this past summer showed green tea extract was able to reduce enlarged and cancerous lymph nodes by more than 50%.

In addition, green tea is able to help with weight loss, protect skin from damage, and even prevent the flu. Adding green tea seems like a no-brainer. Just get a few cups a week to begin reaping the benefits.

Source: Natural Society - Additional sources: cancer.org

 

[Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu]

Can Green Tea Aid in the Prevention of Lung Cancer?

Could green tea aid in the prevention of lung cancer? Over the last several years, we’ve heard more and more about the cancer-preventative aspects of green tea, and the studies just keep coming. Researchers from Taiwan found that both smokers and non-smokers who drink at least one cup of green tea each day see a significantly lower risk of lung cancer.

Green Tea and the Prevention of Lung Cancer

According to the BBC, the study found that those who didn’t drink green tea were at a five times greater risk of developing lung cancer than those who had just one cup a day. Among smokers, the rate was even higher, with the
non-drinkers seeing a risk increase of 12 times that of the tea drinkers.

Also related to green tea consumption, scientists found that a gene may play a role in the prevention of lung cancer. The greatest lung cancer prevention was seen in those people who not only drank green tea, but had a gene called IGF1.

Active components in green tea, called polyphenols, are credited with stopping cancer in its tracks. Though some conflicting studies have arisen over the years, the majority point to green tea as an amazing health elixir.

Scientists began researching the effects of the tea when noticing the dramatically lower cancer rates in Asia, where consumption of green tea is highest.

Of course this isn’t the first time a link has been made between green tea and cancer prevention. One Japanese study involving 40,000 Japanese individuals found that consuming five cups of green tea each day could work to

prevent the development of cancer, particularly lymph cancers and blood cancers. Other scientists also found that green tea fights cancer cell growth. They noticed that the active ingredient in green tea can lead to a regression in

chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)—a type of cancer that causes the bone marrow to make too many lymphocytes (white blood cells).

Fortunately for us, green tea is easy to find. In order to get the most from your tea, look for organic varieties. Drink at least one cup each day and limit sweeteners and additives. Green tea has a light taste that isn’t overpowering and is easy to drink.

Cup of Green Tea Daily Shown to Reduce Risk of this Cancer Type by 24%

Is there really anything green tea can’t do? It’s rich in catechins, or healthful flavonoids, and these compounds have truly amazing benefits. From weight loss to brain protection and disease prevention—green tea is truly a healing

powerhouse. And the benefits go on—with research connecting the tea to ovarian cancer treatment and prevention.
Multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of green tea in reducing cancer risk. According to one such study,
one cup of green tea each day was able to reduce ovarian cancer risk by 24 percent. More than one cup provided even more dramatic results. Two cups per day reduced the risk by 46%, and those women who drank

green tea for over 30 years saw the rate of ovarian cancer drop a whopping 75%.

How does it work? At the risk of boring you with unintelligible medical-speak, the components in green tea induce “apoptosis” or cell death. Rather than the cancer cells proliferating (growing in number quickly), they die out.

Green tea components also “downregulate the expression of proteins involved in inflammation, cell signalization, cell motility, and angiogenesis,” according to David Liu, PhD, at FoodConsumer.org. This means, the compounds

in green tea regulate cell health in a variety of ways by fighting inflammation (a major contributor to disease in general) and the growth of cancerous cells.

Green tea may stop the growth of cancer cells but it also protects healthy cells, something that can’t be said for traditional cancer treatments. It does this by reducing inflammation and protecting cells from damage by free radicals.

Green tea is easy to come by and affordable. It’s a cinch to add into your daily routine, whether you have it in the mornings to get your day started, after meals to aid in digestion, or stirred into recipes. And with the green tea
benefits becoming more well known, why wouldn’t you want to start now?

For added ovarian cancer prevention—add some ginger. Scientists have found ginger to annihilate ovarian cancer cells. One study from the University of Michigan found ginger to kill cancer cells at the same rate as chemotherapy, but without all of the side effects.

Health Benefits of Green Tea – Weight Loss, Anti-aging, and More

Tea, a mainstay for thousands of years in countless cultures, has garnered attention in the west for its health promoting potential throughout the past several decades. To qualify as tea, a drink must be made from the leaves

of this evergreen Camellia sinensis. Among true teas, there are green, black and oolong, differentiated by the way in which the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are processed – with green being the least processed. Being the


least processed type of tea, green tea is the richest in antioxidant polyphenols. Its wide array of health benefits of green tea are generally attributed to these health promoting flavonoids, and in particular to a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

Some of the Many Health Benefits of Green Tea

Some of the green tea health benefits are as follows:

Weight Loss: Promoting Metabolism and Fat Oxidation

Given the obesity crisis, this may be among the most desired of health benefits of green tea. Scientists from Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland investigated whether a green tea extract would increase energy

expenditure and thus fat oxidation in humans within 24 hours of supplementation. 10 men were given either green tea extract (50 mg caffeine + 90 mg epigallocatechin gallate), caffeine (50 mg) or a placebo at breakfast, lunch and

dinner and were subsequently evaluated in a respiratory chamber. Based on measures of respiratory quotient and urinary excretion of nitrogen and catecholamines, green tea showed significant thermogenic properties and

promoted fat oxidation more effectively than either the placebo or caffeine, suggesting that EGCG has unique fat-burning properties.

Having a place among many foods to boost metabolism, green tea is also great for losing a deadly fat known as visceral fat - at inside the abdomen.

Protecting and Restoring Brain Cells

According to an article published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, tea flavonoids (catechins) have been reported to possess antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, to penetrate the brain

barrier and to protect neuronal death in a wide array of cellular and animal models of neurological diseases. More specifically, Korean scientists have demonstrated that green tea extract consumed prior to brain injury exerts a neuroprotective effect and promotes better recovery from neuronal damage.

Anti-Cancer

While the cancer fighting potential of green tea has been debated over the past several decades, a 2005 study from UCLA published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research was the first to prove that green tea extract was able

to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, a feat that current cancer treatments have yet to match. Another study showcasing the relationship between green tea and cancer found that five cups of green tea each

day could reduce the risk of lymph cancers by up to 48%, and blood cancers by 42%.
Other findings also show how green tea can fight cancer cell growth by significantly reducing the number of

lymphocytes, while yet more research says that green tea could aid in the prevention of lung cancer.
More research is necessary, but the potential of green tea in this regard is intriguing, to say the least.

Lowering Cholesterol

While there is a major cholesterol myth and hoax lurking about, some people still feel better knowing cholesterol levels are in ‘normal range’. Japanese scientists evaluated blood samples of 1371 men over the age of 40 and

found that increased consumption of green tea was associated with decreased serum concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides and an increased proportion of high density lipoprotein, along with a decreased

proportion of very low density lipoprotein. High consumption of green tea- 10 or more cups a day- was also associated with decreased concentrations of hepatological markers in serum, suggesting that green tea may protect against both cardiovascular and liver diseases.

In another study, rats fed a very high cholesterol diet were supplemented with catechins extracted from green tea powder. Rats on the high cholesterol diet for 28 days showed increased liver weight, liver total lipids and

cholesterol concentrations, but tea supplementation diminished these effects. Tea catechins decreased plasma total cholesterol, cholesterol ester, total cholesterol and artherogenic index, a measure of the ratio of high density and low density lipoproteins.

Other Health Benefits of Green Tea

The health benefits of green tea also include:

• Protecting against sun damage - According to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the polyphenols contained in green tea are powerful antioxidants which not only protect the body from damage by free radicals, but can also protect the cells against DNA damage from UV radiation.

• Graceful aging – Antioxidants found in green tea provide anti-aging benefits and pave the way for graceful aging. Research shows that those who drink green tea are more agile and medically independent as they age. What’s more, the study found that these same antioxidant chemicals can help to protect your body against general health-impairing effects by fighting cell damage.

• Boosting the immune system, protecting against the flu - Researchers examining over 2,000 elementary school students, giving them a questionnaire about their green tea consumption and illness during influenza season. They found was those who consumed green tea daily were sick less often - drinking between 1-5 cups per day slashed flu rates, though the benefits stopped after 5 cups.

• Clearing nasal congestion - Green tea blocks histamine production and helps boost the immune system.

• Reducing stress – One Japanese study involving 42,093 individuals, 2,774 of which suffered from psychological stress and said green tea helped to lessen that stress, found that drinking five cups of the tea each day could reduce stress by 20%.

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An enormous body of contemporary research withstanding, we are also wise to consider green tea’s history. Tea, and green tea especially, has a long been honored as a near sacred beverage in eastern culture. In The Book of Tea, Kakuzo Okakura introduces westerners to ‘teaism,’ wherein tea is drunk in a ceremonious way understood to

promote and foster harmony with one’s self, one’s environment, one’s mind, one’s heart and one’s nature. The health benefits of green tea and all teas within the practice are considered self-evident.

My background considered, I readily admit that I might be biased, but I can’t help but make an observation: divorced from one another as they may seem, perhaps the richest understanding of green tea and its potential

health benefits, and maybe even health in general, lies somewhere at the overlap of ancient eastern philosophy and contemporary western analysis.
Perhaps, we may all even have something to learn from one another.

Green Tea Benefit Summary – Green Tea is Great for:

• Protection against cancer
• Graceful aging
• Protecting against sunburn
• Weight loss
• Protecting and restoring brain cells
• Clearing nasal congestion
• Destressing
• Boosting the immune system, protecting against the flu

Additional Sources:
The Telegraph
The Cochrane Library