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EGCG (epigallocatechin
gallate) not only inhibit an enzyme required for cancer cell growth,
but also kills cancer cells with no ill effect on healthy cells. A team
of scientists at Purdue University determined: "In the presence
of EGCg, the cancer cells literally failed to grow or enlarge after
division then presumably because they did not reach the minimum size
needed to divide they underwent programmed cell death, or apoptosis."
EGCG, an
antioxidant, is considered many times more potent than the Vitamin E
or Vitamin C antioxidant properties. In one study published in the November
2004 issue of Mutation Research, EGCG's protective antioxidant effects
against several carcinogens were found to be 120% stronger than those
of vitamin C. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas
determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which itself
is known to kill cancer cells.
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In the
laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful
inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants
before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically
induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of
liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown
to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea
Phytonutrients
in green tea, specifically, its catechins, increase the production and
activity of detoxification enzymes in humans, and may enhance our ability
to detoxify carcinogens, shows research supported by the National
Cancer Institute. 42 healthy volunteers refrained from tea or tea-related
products for one month, after which blood samples were taken to assess
the activity and levels of their glutathione S-transferases (GST), a
major group of detoxification enzymes. Volunteers then consumed green
tea catechins in amounts equivalent to consuming between 8-16 cups of
green tea each day. GST activity was greatly enhanced in those whose
baseline GST activity was low-those most susceptible to damage from
carcinogens. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.2007 Aug;16(8):1662-6.
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