A UCLA study has further confirmed the potential and potency of an anti-cancer agent brewed in a pot.
Green tea extract has been shown to selectively inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells, leaving normal cells untouched.
An obstacle in cancer treatments is a means of targeting tumor cells without damaging healthy tissue. The study, conducted with green tea and bladder cancer cell lines, has shown promise in this effect.
The properties of green tea have proven to yield many health advantages.
“Most of the data seems to suggest that green tea is beneficial not only for cancer but for cardiovascular disease as well, based on epidemiological studies and animal model studies,” said Jian Yu Rao, senior author of the study and an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.
The interdisciplinary research team, drawn from the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the School of Public Health, the Center for Human Nutrition, and various other departments in the School of Medicine, published its findings this week.
In cancer cells, green tea extract targets a protein responsible for the motility and invasive properties of tumors, slowing their growth and spread. The protein also regulates cell movement and structure, and is not damaged in healthy cells.
The antioxidant effects of green tea have long been touted by the American Cancer Society and other cancer research organizations, but the exact mechanisms have yet to be pinpointed before clinical application in patients.
“We tried to determine whether this would benefit the patient who has bladder cancer to see if the green tea can prevent the progression of the disease,” Rao said.
The next step would be to develop a measurable assay to determine how a patient might respond to green tea extract, and to track treatment progression.
Green tea has also been shown to have an effect on gene expression that may be linked to cancer development. The irregular gene expression characteristic of cancerous cells causes uncontrollable cell division that is not regulated like normal cells.
Loss of regulation occurs as cells age and DNA mutations increase in frequency. Antioxidants like green tea can reverse the damage to genetic material.
“The key question is how early this can be effective, whether green tea can be beneficial for somebody who has very early (genetic) changes,” Rao said.
Previous epidemiological studies conducted by UCLA researchers have shown that regular drinkers of green tea are half as likely to suffer from chronic gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach.
Frequent consumption of green tea also decreases the risk of stomach cancer by 48 percent, according to a study published in 2001.
Researchers recommended three cups of green tea a day for preventative effects.