A large Japanese study suggests that while green tea can lower your risk of heart disease or stroke, it may not be effective in reducing your cancer risk.
Green tea contains particularly large quantities of antioxidants. Animal studies have shown that antioxidants called catechins may shrink cancerous tumors, and some studies have indicated that they may also help keep arteries healthy.
However, while the health effects of green tea have been researched frequently, many of the studies have come up with conflicting results. The U.S. FDA has stated that it has found no credible evidence to support claims that green tea can reduce cardiovascular disease risks, and the National Cancer Institute says studies on tea and cancer prevention have had contradictory results.
The Japanese study examined more than 40,000 adults, and found that those who drank green tea in large quantities were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, but not less likely to die from cancer.
Women who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a 31 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and men who drank a similar amount had a 22 percent lower risk. Tea-drinking women also reduced their mortality risks from clot-related strokes by 62 percent, and men by 42 percent. More men were smokers, which might explain the gender differences.
Heavy tea drinkers in the study also tended to eat more fruits and vegetables, which may have affected the study's results, since such a diet could reduce both cardiovascular disease and cancer risks.
Whether you take it for your health or simply because you enjoy it, green tea is a far better alternative to fruit juice or soda, which is essentially candy that comes in a bottle. And Americans sure love their candy, as the high fructose corn syrup in soda is now the #1 source of calories in the United States.
But while tea is clearly a superior alternative to any soda, there is some mild concern because many conventional brands contain high amounts of health-harming fluoride.
That being said, there is a good deal of evidence that tea can help fight cancer. The polyphenols in green tea are more effective at fighting the progression of cancer than the antioxidants found in red wine, grapes and peanuts.
In addition, you can reduce or eliminate your chances of developing cancer by using the following cancer-prevention tips:
1. Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible. 2. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats. 3. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks. 4. Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels. 5. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have. 6. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique. 7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type. 8. Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight and maintain an ideal body weight. 9. Get enough high-quality sleep. 10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution. 11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.
1. Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible.
2. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
3. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
4. Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.
5. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
6. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store.
They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type.
8. Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight and maintain an ideal body weight.
9. Get enough high-quality sleep.
10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.