Is Green Tea a Cancer Killer?

AHA Publisher — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 07:00:58 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – I tell my patients there’s a good reason why countries like Japan, China and Korea have some of the lowest cancer rates in the world. Two words: green tea. I’ve written to you before about how green tea can protect against a number of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and depression – and cancer is no exception. In one breakthrough study, researchers from the Arizona Cancer Center found that chemicals in green tea dramatically increase the production of key detoxification enzymes that boost your body’s metabolic defense against toxins that can cause cancer.1 The study, published by the American Association for Cancer Research, proved that catechins – a type of natural antioxidant – found in green tea, increase the gene expression of glutathione S-transferase(GST) enzymes by as much as 80%. These powerful GST enzymes then convert toxic carcinogens into non-toxic chemicals, rendering them harmless. A number of studies also show that epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, an especially potent catechin in green tea, is a powerful weapon against multiple types of cancer – both as a primary prevention and as further prevention after cancer treatment. Here are just a few of the cancer types, against which green tea has been shown to be highly effective. Skin cancer2,3 Duodenal cancer in the small intestine4 Prostate cancer5 Lung cancer6 Colorectal cancer7 Stomach cancer8 In many parts of Asia, green tea is a beverage consumed as commonly as water, many times per day. The Arizona Cancer Center found that the anti-cancer effects of green tea catechins kick in at between 8 and 16 cups per day. You can also take EGCG supplements. I recommend you get around 1,500 mg a day — to be split up between meals and taken about 30 minutes after eating. For added cancer protection, I recommend daily vitamin D for my patients. The best source of vitamin D is sunshine. You don’t need more than 20-30 minutes in the sun to get all your vitamin D for the day. But because we spend most of our time inside, you might have to get your vitamin D from other sources. Food sources include salmon, mackerel, tuna fish, sardines, eggs, beef and cheese. I also recommend taking a supplement of vitamin D3 called cholecalciferol. It’s the same vitamin D that your body produces. Just be sure to avoid the synthetic form, vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, in most multivitamins. It’s less potent and less absorbable. To Your Good Health Al Sears, MD, CNS 1 Chow SHH, et al. “Effects of Repeated Green Tea Catechin Administration on Human Cytochrome P450 Activity.” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.15(12):2473-6. January 2007 2 Conney AH, et al. “Inhibitory effect of oral administration of green tea on tumorigenesis by ultraviolet light, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorobol-13-acetate and N-nitrosodiethylamine in mice.” Cancer Chemoprevention. Florida: CRC Press; 1992. pp. 361–373. 3 Yoshizawa S, et al. “Penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate cancer preventive agents.” ACS Symposium Series. 4 Y Fujita, et al. “Inhibitory effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on carcinogenesis with N-ethyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in mouse duodenum.” Jpn J Cancer Res. 1989 Jun;80(6):503-5. 5 Gupta S, et al. “Inhibition of prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice by oral infusion of green tea polyphenols.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2001;98:10350–10355. 6 Nakachi K, et al. “Preventive effects of drinking green tea on cancer and cardiovascular disease: epidemiological evidence for multiple targeting prevention.” BioFactor. 2000;13:49–54 7 Ibid. 8 Yamane T, et al. “Inhibition of N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced carcinogenesis by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in the rat glandular stomach.” Cancer Res.1995 May 15; 55(10):2081-4. To read the original article click here.

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Cooked or Raw? The Best Ways to Eat This Superfood to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

AHA Publisher — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 08:00:36 +0000

Edit Lang via NaturalHealth365 – Our diet plays a vital role in preventing cancer. Members of the Brassica family of vegetables are particularly rich in a chemical compound, sulforaphane, renowned for its cancer-fighting abilities. Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is one of the best sources of sulforaphane. Studies confirmed that sulforaphane lowers your risk of cancer through several mechanisms. One such mechanism is that it upregulates detoxification enzymes. But whether you eat your broccoli raw or cooked makes a dramatic impact on its cancer-fighting power. Boost your liver’s detoxification to lower your risk of cancer Proper detoxification is central to maintaining optimum health and cutting your cancer risks. An overburdened, sluggish, or fatty liver is often at the root of chronic conditions, including several cancer types. Besides minimizing our exposure to the multitude of environmental toxins and pollutants, we can do even more by nourishing our liver with the right foods. The best way to ensure that our bodies effectively remove the vast number of toxins we are exposed to every day is by boosting our liver’s detoxifying enzymes. Sulforaphane, the most potent natural phase 2 enzyme inducer, is abundant in cruciferous vegetables. When broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts are a regular part of our diet, we can increase our liver’s ability to remove carcinogens and heavy metals from the blood. Cooking destroys enzyme needed for sulforaphane formation While broccoli is an excellent sulforaphane source, there is actually none in the plant until you begin to chew it. Instead, broccoli contains a sulforaphane precursor, called glucoraphanin. When you chew or chop the broccoli, the precursor begins mixing with an enzyme called myrosinase. Once activated, the myrosinase enzymes transform glucosinolates into sulforaphane. Although glucoraphanin is heat-resistant and can withstand cooking, the myrosinase enzyme cannot. Heat destroys it. Without the enzyme, there is no sulforaphane. The destruction of the enzyme may explain why we get significant suppression of cancer cell growth from raw broccoli, but hardly anything from when it is cooked. Hate raw broccoli? Here is how to cook it to preserve its sulforaphane content If you cannot find peace with the idea of munching on raw broccoli flowerets, there may be an effective way to cook broccoli and still benefit from its cancer-protective effects. In a 2018 study, a group of researchers set out to determine broccoli’s sulforaphane stability during the stir-frying process. First, they pulverized the broccoli, chopping it into tiny pieces to activate as much myrosinase enzyme as possible. Then they split their samples into three groups: One raw One stir-fried for four minutes immediately after chopping One chopped and then left alone for 90 minutes before being stir-fried for four minutes The results showed that the third sample group, where the chopped broccoli was left alone for 90 minutes, had 2.8 times higher sulforaphane content than the sample group stir-fried immediately after chopping. Add mustard seed to increase sulforaphane formation on cooked broccoli Although boiling broccoli deactivates the enzyme needed for sulforaphane formation, there is something you can do to preserve its cancer-protective compounds. Researchers found that when they added powdered mustard seeds to cooked broccoli, sulforaphane formation increased. Adding only half a teaspoon of powdered mustard seeds was enough to provide a natural source of the enzyme and boost the broccoli’s cancer-fighting compound. Broccoli does not get enough credit for all the goodness it offers to our health. Whether we choose to eat it raw, cooked, or stir-fried, we can preserve its sulforaphane content to help protect against free radicals, improve detoxification, and help prevent cancer. Sources for this article: Pubmed.gov, Pubs.acs.org, NutritionFacts.org, NaturalHealth365.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Is Green Tea a Cancer Killer?

Cooked or Raw? The Best Ways to Eat This Superfood to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer