Skip the coffee and drink Green Tea

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Good article posted by Brooklyn...


Mechanism found for green tea in cancer fight

In research conducted at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa Florida, a mechanism of green tea polyphenols' ability to cause the death of cancer cells was elucidated. By testing green tea polyphenols effect on prostate cancer cell lines, varying concentrations of the polyphenols were found to diminish a protein called Bcl-XL which protects cancer cells from apoptosis, which is programmed cell death.


Green tea has been shown to prevent several types of cancer in animal models. Human populations who consume green tea have lower rates of stomach, liver, pancreatic, breast, lung, esophageal and skin cancers.


Aslamuzzaman Kazi, PhD, research fellow in the Drug Discovery Program at Moffitt Cancer Center, described the finding: "The higher the concentration, the better the response - meaning more apoptosis, or programming that tells cells to die -- apparently occurring as a result of a greater decrease in Bcl-XL, a protein that protects cancer cells from apoptosis. At all concentrations, response was apparent within three hours."


Pin Dou, PhD, associate professor of oncology, biochemistry, and molecular biology at Moffitt further explained, "Because Bcl-XL is overexpressed in many cancers, it could be a key target in all these cancers and explain why green tea polyphenols (are) able to prevent human cancers in mouse models . . . Data from our laboratory suggests that at least one enzyme may modify Bcl-XL and that it is the actual target of tea. We also want to see if that target is present in all human cancers or just some of them."


Green tea has been shown to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. Further, green tea's potent antioxidant effects inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries, which plays a major contributory role in the formation of atherosclerosis. "There is considerable epidemiological evidence that tea drinking lowers the risk of heart disease" (FEBS Lett., Aug. 1998, 433(1-2):44-46).


The cholesterol-lowering (hypocholesterolemic) effects of green tea (as well as black tea) have been confirmed by both animal and human epidemiological studies. High consumption of green tea by humans, especially more than 10 cups a day, was found to be associated with higher HDLs and lower LDL and VLDL cholesterol, as well as with various biomarkers indicating better liver health. Lower levels of lipid peroxides in the liver are one well-confirmed benefit of green-tea supplementation found in study after study.

A Japanese study relates, "Green tea catechin acts to limit the excessive rise in blood cholesterol" based on a series of studies reported in 1996 (Journal Nutritional Science Vitaminol., 32:613).


Additionally, some very exciting results were found when rats were fed 2.5% green tea leaves in their diet. The experimental group showed a drop in total cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, and triglycerides. The body weight of green tea-fed rats was 10 to 18% lower than that of rats not consuming green tea. In addition, the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and of anticarcinogenic phase-II enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), were significantly higher in the green tea group, as was the glutathione level in the liver. There was no liver or kidney toxicity. Thus, the study demonstrated combined cardiovascular and anticancer effects of green tea.


The relation between green tea consumption and serum lipid concentrations were examined using cross-sectional data on 1306 males in Japan. Results indicated that total cholesterol levels were found to be inversely related to the consumption of green tea. "Adjusted mean concentrations of total cholesterol were significantly lower in men drinking nine cups or more a day than in those consuming zero to two cups a day" (Prev. Med. July 1992, 21(4):526-31). No wonder the Japanese people have the longest life span. Most Japanese sip tea all day long.


Green tea also has been shown to elevate levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps remove atherosclerotic plaque from arterial walls. Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor. This is an extra benefit for those with high cholesterol and blood pressure, as published studies show lowered blood pressure in animals and humans given green tea extracts. We recommend one capsule (350 mg) of green tea 95% extract daily, or drinking one to ten cups of green or black tea a day.




Also maybe help burn cals...

A study has found: "Subjects spent 24 hours in a respiratory chamber designed to measure the rate calories were burned and energy expenditure. Those receiving the green tea experienced what researchers consider a significant increase in both tests. Tea extract subjects burned 4 percent more calories, and overall energy expenditure rose 4.5 percent."
 
Yet another reason:

BELTSVILLE, Md., Oct 10, 2002 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Common tea can be an effective weapon in the fight against diabetes because it boosts insulin activity in the body by more than 15-fold, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday.

Insulin problems lie at the root of the potentially fatal illness diabetes, so researchers hope tea-based treatments will help treat or prevent the disease, which affects 17 million Americans. Not only that, this insulin-boosting phenomenon may explain why tea can help fight heart disease and high blood pressure as well.

"This is just one of the many well-established benefits that tea may have," researcher Richard Anderson, a biochemist at the USDA's Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, told United Press International.

Tea has a long history as a folk remedy for diabetes in China, the West Indies and central Africa. Over the past 20 years scientists also have uncovered potential benefits from tea against cancer, high blood pressure and infection.

"Tea wasn't the only factor we looked at, but it was the best," Anderson said.

Anderson and his colleague Marilyn Polansky analyzed a host of herbs, spices and plants for any beneficial effect involving insulin, the hormone the body needs to convert sugar into energy. They took fat cells from rats and grew them in test tubes because fat cells are highly sensitive to insulin, Anderson explained. Then, they gave the cells mildly radioactive sugar, insulin, and various tea extracts. The radioactive sugar is easy to track and the more the extracts aided insulin activity, the more sugar the cells would convert.

The scientists found black, green and oolong teas boosted insulin activity the most. This insulin-augmenting effect was seen with both caffeinated and non-caffeinated teas, but not with herbal teas, which do not use leaves from tea bushes.

They also identified tea's most insulin-enhancing chemical, called epigallocatechin gallate. Adding whole or skim milk, nondairy creamers or soy milk appears to soak up tea's insulin-augmenting compounds and inhibit the insulin boost, although these milky sponges may release the tea extracts in the stomach, Anderson said. No absorption problem was seen with lemon juice.

"Hopefully people can get better simply by drinking tea," Anderson said. "These compounds clear from the body quite quickly, some in less than six hours, some less than four. The effects are not going to be that large, so you're going to need to continue drinking tea."

Anderson said his team also found cinnamon showed similar insulin-enhancing power. He suggests tea and cinnamon affects the cell proteins insulin binds to.

Diabetes is a disease where the body either does not make insulin or does not properly use it when it does produce it. The scientists think tea increases the body's sensitivity to insulin by setting off a chain reaction. As a result, the body attaches chemicals to insulin-binding proteins that enhance their activity.

Tea's insulin-boosting activity also might explain why tea seems to help prevent heart disease and high blood pressure, Anderson said. Medical investigators think high blood sugar damages blood vessels, and increasing insulin activity lowers blood sugar levels.

"This work seems to be truly new and extremely exciting," biochemist Anne-Marie Roussel at the Universite Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France, told UPI. "This work is well done, and the data is promising not only to treat diabetes but perhaps also in preventing it." Roussel and Anderson added more tea studies need to be conducted with patients, not in lab models.

The scientists described their findings in a report published online by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

(Reported by Charles Choi, UPI Science News, in New York)

Copyright: Copyright 2002 by United Press International
 
Coffee and green tea capsules for me every day. Make sure that the capsules are high in polyphenols and catechins. I just don't like the taste of green tea, so hopefully the capsules work to some degree, but I'm sure that actually drinking green tea is the best way to go.

NN
 
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great post on green tea

Im already on it. been drinking it for months and feel better than when on coffee. Cant quit the coffee though cause I really like the taste and smell which bring many good memories.
 
Green Tea Extract works perfect if you don't want to drink it, but it's good sweetened with Splenda. I gotta have my coffee too;)
 
I'm sure you can buy it anywhere locally Walmart. But I go through a bro who sells bulk, powders, etc.


Green Tea Extract 50%.................200 gr @ $20
 
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