Preventing Breast Cancer Recurrence with Green Tea

In recent years, lots of research has been performed on green tea’s ability to prevent and treat breast cancer. The news has been extremely promising; it appears that as we learn more, we’ll eventually determine that green tea is, indeed, one of the simplest things we can do to protect breast health. Since about 13% of all American women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, breast health is a significant concern for all of us.
One study showed that tea helped to ensure that women had an appropriate level of the sex hormone binding globulin on critical days of their cycle. The level of binding globulin is important because low levels of this hormone in pre-menopausal women have been associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Another study showed that one group of Chinese women who were at a higher than average risk of developing cancer, due to angiotensin activity in their blood, were able to lower their breast cancer risk by drinking green tea. This study concluded that even women who drank green tea only weekly were at a lower risk than those who drank it only monthly or not at all.
One study also showed that green tea may be able to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Green tea was shown to increase the concentration of chemotherapy drugs in the cancer cells, compared to women who received chemotherapy without green tea as an adjunct treatment. Green tea was also shown to slow the growth of cancer cells, suggesting that it may inhibit cancer progression and metastasis.
Green tea’s anti-oxidants are what make it such a powerful health protector. The anti-oxidants in green tea have been shown to be more than 100 times as effective at neutralizing free radicals as vitamin C, and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E, both of which are well recognized as anti-oxidants. In addition, the EGCG in green tea have also been found to be more powerful than BHA, BHT and Resveratol, all of which are considered some of the most potent anti-oxidants around.
And, now there’s a study that’s shown that green tea may prevent breast cancer from recurring, too. This study, reported by the UK Tea Council, examined many databases that contained information about breast cancer patients and their rate of recurrence.
The study concluded that women who consumed more than 5 cups of green tea per day had a slightly lower than average risk of developing breast cancer than women who consumed a smaller amount or who did not drink green tea at all.
In addition, this study showed that women with Stages 1 and 2 breast cancer who drank green tea daily showed a decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence over women who did not drink green tea.
This is very promising news, both for women who are trying to prevent breast cancer and for women who are already battling the disease. It appears that green tea may be an important part of the treatment of breast cancer, in order to lessen the chances that the cancer will recur later.
Each recurrence of breast cancer is more difficult to treat than the previous ones, and each one increases your mortality risk from the disease. So, while prevention is critical in all women – preventing recurrence for those who are already battling the disease is just as critical.
When you combine all the evidence that’s out there, it’s hard to ignore the fact that green tea holds a lot of promise in the fight against breast cancer.
So, if you’re at a higher than average risk for developing breast cancer, it’s wise to consider adding green tea to your diet. Even if it doesn’t prevent you from getting breast cancer, green tea has no side effects, and is considered to be completely safe to consume.
In addition to adding green tea to your diet, you should also take steps to ensure that you’re living an overall healthy life. This means eating a healthy diet, that includes lots of fruits and vegetables (these are high in anti-oxidants just like green tea) and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Switch to whole grains and be certain that you’re getting an adequate amount of fiber.
You should also exercise. Exercise helps burn calories and maintain a normal body weight. In addition, exercise helps build muscle and keep your body strong, which comes in handy as we age.
Finally, if you smoke, stop. We’re all aware that smoking increases our risk for lung cancer, but what many people don’t know is that smoking increases your overall risk of cancer. So, smoking may contribute to you having a higher risk of breast cancer, too. Smoking also contributes to heart disease.
We’re learning more and more about the benefits of drinking green tea. It’s likely that in a few years, we’ll truly understand how this popular beverage keeps us healthy. But, in the meantime, you should get a head start on the road to health by having some green tea today and every day!