is the second leading cause of death in the
United States and its incidence has risen dramatically over the
last 50 years. This leads scientists to the conclusion that our
lifestyle and environment must play an important role in
whether or not we develop cancer.
There is still much more to learn about the factors that
influence cancer development, but in the meantime, we should
take to heart the things that we know cause cancer, and those
that we believe can prevent it. Here are some things you can do
to reduce your risk.
The first is eating a healthy diet, rich in fruits and
vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are rich in anti-oxidants,
which can prevent cancer and other diseases. Anti-oxidants are
very effective at combating free radicals that are created in
our bodies as we process food.
We can’t stop these free radicals from occurring, but we can
combat them with anti-oxidants. If we don’t combat them they
cause damage to our cells and DNA, and this is what leads to
premature aging and disease.
If you want to significantly increase the anti-oxidant level in
your diet, pay special attention to the foods that can give you
the most value. Get your fair share of artichokes, red beans,
blueberries, pomegranates, tomatoes and green tea. Yes, that’s
right – green tea.
In fact, in terms of dietary changes to help prevent cancer,
green tea may be the very best thing you can add to your diet.
There has been much research in recent years on the effects
green tea has in preventing, and even treating cancer.
Many studies have shown that green tea’s anti-oxidant power can
be a powerful preventative against cancer. Not only is this
suggested by the significantly lower cancer rate in Asian
countries where green tea is widely consumed, but many studies
have supported this theory.
In 1999, the Alternative Medicine Review reported that green
tea appears to affect cancer in many ways. First, it is a
powerful free radical scavenger, and destroys more free
radicals than many other forms of anti-oxidants.
Secondly, green tea seems to have the power to inhibit the
growth of abnormal cells, many of which might have started as,
or turned into cancer cells. Green tea also appears to be a
very strong detoxifying agent, helping to rid the body of
potentially harmful substances.
Finally, the Alternative Medicine Review reported that green
tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, even in
patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer, green tea
may be helpful, because it may prevent the cancer from
spreading.
Other studies have also shown that green tea can be an
effective adjunct therapy for cancer, not only because it
appears to inhibit the spread of cancer, but also because it
makes traditional therapies more effective.
One study showed that when mice were given green tea in
conjunction with chemotherapy, the chemotherapy drugs invaded
the cancer cells in higher concentration than when the
chemotherapy was administered alone.
Another recent study of breast cancer patients in stages one
and two showed a significantly lower rate of cancer recurrence
when the patients were given large doses of green tea.
Making Green Tea Part of Your Life
If you’d like to add green tea to your diet for its health
effects, many doctors recommend that you start with about three
cups per day. Experiment with the many flavors of green tea that
are on the market, or stick with the traditional green tea so
popular in Asian restaurants. Either will have the health
benefits – hot or iced.
While most American doctors recommend that you begin with 3
cups of green tea per day, you should know that in Asian
cultures most people drink significantly more than that. The
average in China is 4-5 cups a day, and in Japan it’s estimated
to be as high as 8-10 cups per day.
If you don’t think you can manage that much tea in a day, there
are green tea extract supplements available at many drug stores
and health food stores.
One of the great things about using green tea as a preventative
treatment is that there are no side effects. Green tea is
healthy and safe even to give to your children. Green tea has
significantly less caffeine that coffee and even has less
caffeine that traditional black tea. So, it’s well tolerated by
nearly everyone.
In addition to research showing that green tea helps prevent
cancer, there is also evidence to suggest that it reduces your
risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and
Alzheimer’s disease. It is also thought to slow down the
overall aging process.
What do you have to lose? It seems there is no downside to
drinking green tea and there may be a great many benefits.
About The Author: Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea,
http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea and
http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long go to
http://www.goldenmoontea.com
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