For centuries, Traditional Chinese Medicine has taught that tea can be potent medicine. Modern alternative medicine has embraced that idea for years – and recently, even the mainstream has supported the benefits of tea. It’s no wonder – research continues to reinforce that the antioxidants in tea can protect your heart, fight cancer, and prevent disease.
For example, earlier this month I told you about a new study that showed how drinking either green or black tea can help minimize the negative effects of a high-fat meal and improve your overall cardiovascular health. (4/2/02: “Would you like fries with that?”). Now, two new studies from opposite sides of the globe provide even more support for tea’s healing powers – and show how far-reaching its effects can be.
Tea could cut cancer risk in HALF
The first study was performed in Shanghai, China – a place where tea has been a tradition for centuries. Researchers there tracked the drinking habits and health status of 1,004 men between the ages of 45 to 64 for 15 years. And here’s what they found: drinking tea on a regular basis can slash the risk of stomach and esophageal cancer by as much as half.
The researchers identified 190 cases of gastric cancer and 42 cases of esophageal cancer, and then matched the cancer patients with 772 comparable control subjects. They then assessed the level of polyphenols in each participant’s urine (polyphenols are the antioxidants in tea responsible for their health benefits). After adjusting for variables such as smoking and alcohol consumption, the researchers found that the subjects who showed a presence of polyphenols in their urine had a much lower rate of gastric and esophageal cancer than those with no discernable polyphenols.
We know how the oxidative damage caused by free radicals can damage cell proteins and genetic material – and how antioxidants can ward off these unstable molecules. Now, more and more research is showing that the antioxidants in tea are among the most potent free-radical fighters in nature. In a presentation at a recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, the study’s authors reported that tea’s antioxidants are “as powerful as the well-established antioxidants vitamins C and E at protecting proteins and DNA from oxidative damage.”
Tea’s antioxidants can prevent muscle deterioration
The link between oxidative damage and cancer has been well documented, but more research is suggesting an oxidant connection with other diseases as well. In the second study, conducted at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, researchers hypothesized that oxidative stress may play a role in the muscle-wasting effects of muscular dystrophy. To test that theory, they studied mice that exhibited muscular dystrophy-like symptoms. Soon after birth, the mice were split into three groups: a control group was fed a standard rat diet, while two other groups were fed a standard diet supplemented with 0.01% or .05% green tea extract. At four weeks, whole muscles were removed from the mice and examined.
The researchers found that the mice who received green tea extract showed “significantly slower” muscle deterioration when compared to the control group. The scientists concluded that the antioxidant mechanism of the tea extract delayed muscle deterioration and even improved muscle health by reducing the oxidative stress which may contribute to muscular dystrophy.
That’s all well and good for mice, but what about humans? The Swiss researchers acknowledged that more research is needed to confirm their conclusion that green tea may offer an effective and nontoxic strategy for treating muscular dystrophy. But these findings are certainly consistent with other research demonstrating the potent antioxidant powers of tea – and suggest that the benefits may be more far-reaching that we ever believed.
How much is enough?
Because the Shanghai study looked for traces of tea polyphenols – as opposed to administering doses – we don’t know exactly how much tea was being consumed by the subjects. The Swiss study, however, notes that the lower dose of green tea extract fed to their mice equals 1.4 liters of green tea per day for humans. That’s a lot of tea – like half a gallon, or seven cups a day. And, a lot of people find green tea a little hard to take in the taste department, so drinking seven cups a day just to receive the lowest effective dose would be a stretch for most of us. So if you don’t really want to drink a half gallon of tea each day, or if you just prefer to limit your caffeine consumption, a simple alternative is green tea extracts, such as those used in this study, which are widely available at health food and drug stores as well as online.
Fortunately, most of us don’t have to struggle with muscular dystrophy. But all of us are constantly waging a battle between antioxidants and free radicals. This is a battle with clearly defined good guys and bad guys – and it’s reassuring to know that something as simple as a steaming cup of tea can help the good guys win.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
American Association for Cancer Research, 93rd Annual Meeting:
Abstract #2354, www.aacr.org
Press Release, 4/8/02, www.usc.edu
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;75:749-753
Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.
