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Tea Good for Cancer

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In studies, tea drinking has been shown effective in lowering high cholesterol and in cancer prevention. But researchers are still trying to figure out how. Likely, it is because the polyphenols in tea are strong antioxidants capable of ‘mopping up’ DNA-damaging free radicals in the bloodstream.

Researchers in this study monitored urine levels of 8-OhdG, a measure of overall damage to DNA. Smoking is associated with high levels of this produce. DNA damage, If not repaired, can result in genetic mutations that — over a lifetime — are expected to affect a person’s risk of cancer, writes lead researcher Iman A. Hakim, PhD, director of Health Promotion Sciences at the Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona. Because 8-OhdG is easy to identify in the urine, it provides a way for researchers to monitor whether cells have been damaged, he explains. His study involved 143 men and women — all heavy smokers — divided into three groups. For four months, each group drank four cups a day — one group drank decaffeinated green tea, the second group drank decaffeinated black tea, and the third drank water. Every month, they returned to the clinic for blood tests and urinalysis. None of them cut back on smoking or changed their diet, Hakim says. In the end: The green tea group had the lowest 8-OhdG levels; the black tea and water drinkers had no change in 8-OhdG levels. Black tea and water, therefore, seemed to have no effect in protecting smokers from DNA damage. Green tea, however, significantly cut the cell damage in these heavy smokers, a sign that drinking tea daily could be effective in cancer prevention, writes Hakim. (Source: Hakim, I. Journal of Nutrition, Oct. 2003; pp 3303S-3309S. Davies, M. Journal of Nutrition, Oct. 2003; pp 3298S-3302S: WebMD Health News)


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Posted On: 10 October, 2003
Modified On: 3 December, 2013

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