Green tea may help guard against cancer
TUCSON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A green tea concentrate may help some people boost their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer, finds a University of Arizona study.
The study of 42 people consumed green tea concentrate -- green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8 to 16 cups of green tea -- which increases the production of enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase, or GST, family.
GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins and the GST enzymes convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, explained lead investigator, H.H. Sherry Chow, of the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks and then blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined. After taking the green tea concentrate for four weeks, a second blood test was taken.
For those with high or medium GST levels little variation occurred, but for those with low levels of GST some experienced an up to 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity, the study in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention finds.
| source | http://www.scienceda...eenteadetox.xml
