Green tea will save you from breast cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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For many years green tea is a subject of medical and scientific research aimed at studying its antitumor properties. It is believed that the Kakheti - a subgroup of polyphenols contained in green tea, have powerful antioxidant properties and are able to prevent the growth of cancer cells.
The active component of green tea, called polyphenone E, contributes to a reduction in hepatocyte growth factors and vascular endothelial growth factors, which are biomarkers indicating a risk of developing cancer metastases. This discovery was made by scientists from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
"Many preclinical studies have already examined epigallocatechin gallate, which is one of the main components of green tea as a weapon against the development of cancer cells, but this assumption has not been confirmed," says Dr. Katherine Crewe, lead author of the study. "Despite the limited amount of knowledge available on the effect of green tea on the prevention of breast cancer and its treatment, we can move further in this direction, accumulating the available facts in terms of understanding antitumor mechanisms."
A study of the scientists involved 40 women, one half of which took 400, 600 and 800 mg of polyphenon E twice a day for six months, and the other half - a placebo. During this period, scientists analyzed blood and urine samples of all participants. Scientists have found that the use of polyphenone E affects the number of molecular pathways that are interrelated with the spread, growth and metastasis of the tumor.
According to experts, this is not enough to use the components of green tea in the treatment of breast cancer, but there is hope that further research will allow to develop methods of treatment using the components of this drink. Breast cancer ranks first among all malignant tumors in women and, according to doctors, has a pronounced tendency to increase.
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