Green Tea: A Good Cancer Prevention

At least one third of all cancer cases are preventable, and cancer prevention is the most effective strategy in reducing the number of both new cases of cancer and deaths caused by cancer. Although lots of remedies and natural medicines were said to prevent the deadly disease, some experts say that green tea is good for cancer prevention.

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Popular in countries such as China and Japan, it accounts for 20% of tea consumption worldwide.

It may be consumed in the form of a brewed beverage or capsular extract. In some countries, tea is used as dietary supplements. In China the medicinal use of this tea dated back to 4,700 years ago.

Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting that regular tea drinkers may have a lower risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer.


The main active ingredients of this tea include polyphenolic compounds such as epicatechin (EC), epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), all of which may be responsible for the anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic activities of green tea. Other polyphenols in this tea include flavanols and their glycosides and depsides such as cholorogenic acid, quinic acids, carotenoids, trigalloylglucose, lignin, protein, chlorophyll, minerals (aluminum or manganese, depending on the soil content), caffeine and a very small amount of methylxanthines. Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis.

Polyphenols in this tea were shown to be powerful antioxidants with anti-carcinogenic properties. Human studies on pharmacokinetics of polyphenols in this kind of were conducted. The evidence suggests that ingested polyphenols and their metabolites play a role in the action against gastrointestinal cancers.

Recent meta-studies show the following levels of consumption may reduce cancer risk as indicated.
5 cups/day or more:
56% less oral cancer
54% less prostate cancer
42% less liver cancer
22% less endometrial cancer
2 cups/day or more:
18% less lung cancer (for general population)
1 cup/day or more:
60% less lung cancer (for female non-smokers)
44% less ovarian cancer
Moderate consumption of green tea (3-9 cups per day) is generally safe. People with known allergy/hypersensitivity to caffeine or tannin should avoid green tea. In general, the stimulatory effect of this tea is considerably less than that of coffee. However, pregnant women, nursing mothers and patients with cardiac conditions are advised to avoid or limit their intake of this tea to two cups per day.

Researchers are exerting great efforts in studying the benefits of green tea for cancer prevention. While other researchers are contradicting the said remedy, one thing is certain. Of course, consumption alone is not enough to prevent cancer. Live healthy, and everything will follow.

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