LONDON (Reuters) - Spanish and British scientists have discovered how green tea helps to prevent certain types of cancer.



Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.


"We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs, " Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters.


"This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG," he added.


Green tea has about five times as much EGCG as regular tea, studies have shown. It decreased rates of certain cancers but scientists were not sure what compounds were involved or how they worked. Nor had they determined how much green tea a person would have to drink to have a beneficial effect, he said.


Thorneley said EGCG is probably just one of a number of anti-cancer mechanisms in green tea.


"We have identified this enzyme in tumor cells that EGCG targets and understand how it stops this enzyme from making DNA. This means we may be able to develop new anti-cancer drugs based on the structure of the EGCG molecule," Thorneley explained.


The scientists decided to look at ECGC after they realized its structure was similar to a cancer drug called methotrexate.


"We discovered that EGCG can kill cancer cells in the same way as methotrexate," Dr Jose Neptuno Rodriguez-Lopez, of UMU, a joint author of the research published in the journal Cancer Research.


EGCG binds strongly to DHFR, which is essential in both healthy and cancerous cells. But it does not bind as tightly as methotrexate, so its side effects on healthy cells could be less severe than those of the drug.


Thorneley said EGCG could be a lead compound for new anti-cancer drugs.


The findings could also explain why women who drink large amounts of green tea around the time they conceive and early in their pregnancy may have an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube disorders.


Women are advised to take supplements of folic acid because it protects against spina bifida. But large amounts of green tea could decrease the effectiveness of folic acid.


"This enzyme, (DHFR), is the one folic acid supplements are given for. Folic acid deficiency leads to neural tube development defects," Thorneley added.

I read that in the papers today..

I love Green Tea!

It's been reported for years now that green tea has anti cancer compounds
but, as always with herbal medicine, you're not allowed to say that it
does, unless you have a study showing that 999,999 out of 1,000,000 folk
have benefited from it.

Apart from this EGCG, grean tea has some other disease fighting compounds
which benefit your over all health greatly if you drink it regularly.



4 to 5 cups of green tea daily should be sufficient to benefit greatly
from it.

IstenSzek said:

It's not a medicine.



Do people really drink this shit 4-5 times a day for the rest of their lives hoping it will reduce the chance of them getting cancer?

IstenSzek said:

Many have been aware of this, it's true. Many teas are found to be beneficial depending on what type of herb it is made from. I for one, love the holistic approach and would choose natural remedies over prescription drugs anyday.

Tea

Mach, I love your informative posts.
IstenSzek... I enjoy your informative responses.



Beautiful Morning... ~Hugs.

Freespirit said:

If you like to try some herbal remedies and also enjoy tea, than this might
be the perfect little book for you:

20,000 Secrets of Tea
The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature's Healing Herbs

written by Victoria Zak.


it's a wonderful pocket absolutely brimming with nice information on
herbs, flowers and tea in general. from how to make a good tea to
picking the right herbs for the right affliction and everything in
between.

it's been a favorite of mine ever since I bought it. i even bought
it for a friend of mine and she loves it too.

animal said:

I know. And I don't pretend that it is a medicine in the strict sense
of the word. But it is beneficial and it does attribute to your health
and immune system.

Sure, if you have cancer, it would be very silly to expect a pot of
green tea daily to cure you. Whenever you have a seriuos condition
you should always consult a medical professional.

It's just that there are also ways to boost your immune system before
you get ill. Common colds and flues can be treated very well with some
herbal medicine instead of rushing to your doctor for antibiotics all
the time.



Hmm, that's a matter of taste I suppose. Besides, there are many sorts
of grean tea. But I guess they all do taste more or less the same if
you simply don't like the taste of it. Some honey added to it can make
it taste sweeter and perhaps nicer.

I don't know. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't drink a liter of it every
day for the rest of my life. But I do like it, and I do notice the ways
in which it benefits my health. So hey, why knock it?

You are all kind of missing the point. Green tea has anecdotally been shown to have significant health benefits. By identifying the compound in GT we can create similar compounds that are equally beneficial to be administered as official "medicines" (for want of a better word!). The amazing thing about EGCG is that is a mimic (or analogue) of a known chemotherapy drug Methotrexate which has nasty side effects. Thanks for posting

The downside is that some pharma company will now exploit this finding and sell it back to us at huge profits.....

PREDOMINANT said:

Bastards!

Freespirit said:

i too ...love the holistic approach and would choose natural remedies over prescription drugs anyday and do

thank you freespirit to some ... i know the info is jibber jabber

and to some it has value

The cure for all man's ills are found in nature. Though doctors and pharmacist would have you believe that they hold all of the cures. Many would be surprised how many medicines are based on herbs.

sinisterpentatonic said:

Cloudbuster said: