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Green
Tea, Cancer Benefits Detailed
July 9, 2002 -- A researcher at the Medical
College of Georgia has uncovered specific information
about how green tea helps fight cancer. Compounds
in Green Tea identify, separate and attack cancer
cells, says the new research. A study by cell biologist
Dr. Stephen Hsu says that compounds, called polyphenols,
in green tea activate separate cell pathways -- one
in which healthy cells are moved to safety and another
in which cancer cells are sent to their death. The
polyphenols go after the cancer cells' mitochondria,
the main energy source in cells. The destruction of
the mitochondria weakens the cancer cells, and eventually
leads to their death. This is Hsu's latest finding
on green tea's cancer-fighting abilities. His earlier
research included the discovery that polyphenols in
green tea help eliminate free radicals. These free
radicals can alter DNA, leading to mutations and cancer.
He then identified the role of P-57, which regulates
cell growth and differentiation. Hsu found that a
protein called P-57 protein changes the behavior of
healthy cells as the polyphenols target cancer cells.
In this latest study, Hsu discovered the polyphenols
actually separate healthy cells containing the P-57
protein from cancer cells, which lack the protein.
While the healthy cells are sent to safety, the polyphenols
attack the cancer cells. SOURCE: Gen Dent 2002 Mar-Apr;50(2):140-6;
Anticancer Res 2001 Nov-Dec;21(6A):3743-8
If
you are not a tea drinker and would like to
take Green Tea in a capsule, click here for
information about Dr. Hansen’s Green
Tea supplement: Flavinox
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