Drink Tea and Prevent Cancer

Tea is one of the worlds most popular drinks second only to water. We drink our tea with cream and sugar or lemon and sometimes with honey. But however we like our tea it is clear that we will continue to drink it.

Tea is continuing to surprise us with it's great benefits. According to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, People who drink at least one cup of tea each day have reduced their risk of developing squamous- cell and basil- cell carcinomas, two types of skin cancer, by 30 percent. The author of the study, Judy Rees Ph.D, states that the polyphenol antioxidants in tea protect the skin from the sun's harmful ultra violet rays.

Santosh Katiyar, Ph.D., an associate professor in dermatology, has been studying ways for people to protect themselves from skin cancer for around 16 years,working the past six years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Or U.A.B as the University hospital and research center is commonly called.

Dr. Katiyar believes that the polyphenol found in green tea is the most potent tumor-inhibitor found in nature. His studies show that an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallae (EGCG), which is found in green tea, appears to protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation-induced damage and prevents skin tumors from forming.

Katiyar's green tea research was published in the May 2007 edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry and can be found online at http://www.sciencedirect.com

A University of Arizona study found that the more hot tea people drank (especially with lemon) the less likely they were to develop squamous cell skin cancer.

The National Cancer Institute researchers are investigating the therapeutic and preventive use of tea against a variety of cancers.

There are so many studies going on in regards to the cancer preventing properties of tea that conclusive evidence should be available to us soon.

Green tea,and black tea, whether applied topically or taken orally, Have been shown to be quite beneficial in cancer prevention in several preliminary studies.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that at this time there is not enough evidence to support claims that green tea - whether used topically or consumed in a beverage - prevents or reduces the risk of any type of cancer. However as the research continues we are seeing more and more convincing evidence that tea may be just as great as we think it is. So put on the kettle and have a cup of tea. It is so good for you.

Sources:

Archives of Dermatology 2000;136:989-994, 1051 Published by the American Medical Association.

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (Dr. Stephen Hsu)

Dufresne CJ, Farnworth ER. A review of latest research findings on the health promotion properties of tea. J. Nutri Biochem 2001; 12(7):404-421.