Consumerlab says studies have shown green tea extract EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) has reduced cancer rates.
- Men who had precancerous prostate took 311 mg EGCG/ day and only 1% got prostate cancer
- Men who had precancerous prostate and took placebo had 30% develop prostate cancer.
- Women who had been treated for breast cancer- those who had 3 cups of green tea per day had 27% less recurrence of breast cancer
- patients treated for lung cancer – those who drank 2 c green tea per day had 28% less lung cancer
EGCG is the active ingredient in Green Tea. It seems to act by taking folate or folic acid out of the blood or it could target glutamine metabolism (but do not take when pregnant since developing baby could develop spina bifida)
DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase) is an enzyme that is essential for cancer growth. Some chemo drugs such as methotrexate target DHFR. When DHFR is inhibited, cancer cells cannot use folate and tumor growth is slowed.
So, not taking folic acid slows tumor growth. This is why I do not take a multi vitamin – they usually have folic acid and often have iron
EGCG behaves like DHFR! It blocks folic acid and that is what makes EGCG so successful against cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26783711
Studies have found that EGCG – which is the component of green tea that is largely responsible for all the amazing anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-Alzheimer’s benefits – is very poorly absorbed. In fact, if you take it with a protein-containing food (especially one that contains the amino acid proline, which is really high in dairy), it pretty much negates all its benefits as it keeps your body from absorbing it.
Current research shows that it is best taken first thing in the morning, after fasting all night, with 1000 mg of high quality fish oil from salmon, 200 mg of ascorbic acid (vitamin c) and AWAY from protein.
http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Dr-Blaylock/tea-EGCG-cancer-supplements/2014/12/10/id/612287/
Tea has been shown to help prevent and combat a wide variety of cancers
“Epigallocatechin-3-gallate has potential as a novel therapeutic agent for patients with B-cell malignancies including multiple myeloma via induction of apoptosis mediated by modification of the redox system”