by
Carl Hampton
09/14/2006
We have all seen those television adverts
that tell us drinking Green Tea can prevent
or even cure cancer. Are these claims
actually true, although Green Tea naturally
contains many antioxidants there is no real
proof that it can or will help prevent
cancer. But it does now appear that Green
Tea can help prevent the risk of clot
related strokes.
To prove this theory, a recent study
conducted in Japan, by the Japanese
government and published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association by Dr.
Shinichi Kuriyama of Tohoku University. Dr.
Kuriyama suggested that the Japanese are
less likely than Americans to suffer from
heart disease and stroke. This study is a
bit more particular because of the large
number of participants that were used for
the study, 40,530.
Most of the studies that have been conducted
to date regarding Green Tea have ended with
conflicting results, even those studies
conducted by the National Cancer Institute.
Nonetheless, tea drinking is very common in
Japanese culture so the research seems to
refute criticisms of previous studies.
In America, those who drink Green Tea tend
to be of a wealthier status and much more
health conscious, where as in Japan, green
tea is pretty much used in their staple
diet. But there were a few factors that
created certain results. The heavy tea
drinkers in this Japanese study also tended
to eat more vegetables and fruits which is a
diet that reduces cardiovascular disease and
cancer risks. Another major factor of the
study that sets the Japanese apart from
Americans, the Japanese are a lot less over
weight than most Americans.
Women who drank five cups or Green Tea a day
had a 31% lower risk of dying from
cardiovascular disease in comparison to
those women who drank one cup a day.
Cardiovascular disease consists of heart
disease and stroke, the number one killer
for women in the U.S., as for the men the
risk was reduced by 22%.
As mentioned, tea naturally contains
antioxidants – it is a substance that
keeps the (red & white) cells in your
body healthy. There are more antioxidants in
Green Tea than in black, there have been
studies on animals that show that catechins
(a type of antioxidant) seems to shrink
cancerous tumors but not prevent them.
Studies on humans have shown that tea can
lower cholesterol and keep arteries clean.
The main problem with this study is it
“points you in a direction” but is not
totally conclusive in it's findings. The
study itself seemed to have a few loop
holes. From the 40,530 participants that
took part in the study over the seven years,
1134 participants did die of cancer and 892
died from cardiovascular disease. This is
really not too surprising since a major
requirement for entry onto the study was
being diagnosed with cancer or
cardiovascular disease, or at least having
the possibility of getting either.
Have an opinion or a question you would like
me to answer, then write me!
http://www.CarlHampton.com
