Green Tea - Mesothelioma Cancer and Nutrition

Many teas are made from the tea plant, known as camellia sinensis, which is an evergreen plant that grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates. When the leaf is picked from the plant, it soon begins to wilt and the oxidation process begins. This process can be stopped by drying the leaves. Leaves that make up green tea are dried immediately to stop the oxidation process. In comparison, black tea, which has been the traditional tea of the West, is allowed to wilt and fully oxidize. It is believed that the name "black tea" comes from the color of the leaves as opposed to the brewed tea color, which usually ends up being more red than black. There are several different grades of teas between green and black. Yellow, white, and oolong are classified, basically, on how far along in the wilting and oxidation process they are allowed to travel before being dried and processed. There are many varieties of teas that also have added ingredients, such as spices and flavors.

Green tea originated in China, and its health benefits in the human body have long been proclaimed. Writings from as far back as 1191 have been found that describe the benefits of drinking green teas, which is said to help everything from depression to fatigue to indigestion to headaches. More recently, scientists have begun to dig into the legends of green tea and its medicinal value to find out how accurate the claims are and what, if anything, in green tea can be overwhelmingly beneficial to the human body.

Antioxidants

Oxidants, also often called free radicals, are unstable molecules in the body that can potentially steal electrons from other healthy molecules to make themselves stable. Unfortunately, when the electrons are taken, it makes the once healthy molecules unstable, which, in turn, can cause healthy cells to become unhealthy. Once cells mutate, they can begin to replicate at an alarming pace and cause cancerous tumors. Not only do these cells reproduce at an alarming rate, they can effect cells close to them and cause them to become mutated, further spreading the cancer. These tumors can also metastasize and spread the cancer throughout the body.

Antioxidants work to remove these free radicals from the body. The kind of antioxidant found in green tea is called catechin and is a type of flavonoid. Flavonoids are found in a wide variety of plants and there have been more than 5,000 different types of flavonoids identified with new kinds being discovered all the time. Researchers discovered 10 new flavonoids in grapes as recently as 2002.

Catechin

There are also some very specific kinds of catechin found in green tea. One of the most powerful is called epigallocatechingallate (EGCG). EGCG has not only been found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, it has also been found to kill cancerous cells without damaging healthy cells nearby. Other benefits associated with EGCG are the lowering of LDL cholesterol and inhibiting the abnormal creation of blood clots. Catechin levels, and specifically EGCG levels, are higher in green tea than in most other teas - about three times higher - because oxidation, which can destroy these flavonoids, is stopped so soon after the leaf has been picked from the plant.

EGCG, along with its cousin epigallocatechin (EGC), may also be responsible for inhibiting the activities of aryl hydrocarbon (AH) receptors. AH is a molecule that is known to frequently turn on genes in the human body that may be harmful. Tobacco smoke, in particular, has been known to affect this molecule, which, in turn, can cause all sorts of problems in the health of the human body, including cancer.

Health Benefits

Green tea is believed to affect most kinds of cancer. In laboratory studies, the development of cancer in the liver, prostate cells, breast, and colon has been found to slow down or completely stop. There have also been correlations found between regular green tea consumption and the prevention of cancer in the liver, stomach, throat, bladder, and skin.

Besides the potential for the prevention and cure of cancer, green tea is being found to have other positive effects on health. Studies have been conducted that show drinking green tea on a regular basis can help individuals with weight loss. It is believed that it increases the metabolism and helps with the burning of body fat for energy. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may find some relief from drinking green tea; cholesterol levels may be lowered, as mentioned above; and impaired immune function and infection may be effected by green tea. There are even hints that it might be good for alleviating brain degeneration found in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Interestingly, it is believed that green tea also has the ability to destroy bacteria, which can help prevent food poisoning. This same anti-bacterial characteristic can also help prevent tooth decay.

Thus far, there has only been one harmful effect associated with drinking green tea. Caffeine is present in green tea, although there is much less caffeine in one cup of green tea than in one cup of coffee. Insomnia can result from the overuse of this stimulant, as can indigestion and frequent urination. Overall, though, green tea displays many more positives than negatives.