You Should Be Drinking Green Tea, Already (A New Study Says It Could Even Prevent Breast Cancer)

You Should Be Drinking Green Tea, Already (A New Study Says It Could Even Prevent Breast Cancer)



A new study says green tea could lower breast cancer risk, because it can change the way we metabolize oestrogen. With about a million other research studies enumerating the health benefits of green tea (and conflicting information about whether coffee is really all that good for you), this is hardly the first report that makes us think green tea might be the better way to caffeinate. But for women, this could be a pretty big “pro” for team green tea.

Dr. Barbara Fuhrman of the National Cancer Instutute led the small-scale study, which was published in Nutrition Journal, and found that daily drinking lowered levels of oestrogen metabolites, both for pre- and post-menopausal women. In past studies, higher levels of oestrogen metabolites have been linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, so the study suggests that regular consumption of green tea could lower risk of breast cancer.

The researchers believe this is a result of green tea’s polyphenols, which include flavonoids and the ECGC found in green tea extracts. According to Nutraingredients.com, the researchers explained:

“Among postmenopausal Japanese American women, we observed that more frequent intake of green tea was associated with reduced urinary concentrations of oestrone. As a rich source of phytochemicals that can interact with and regulate xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, green tea may modify metabolism or conjugation of oestrogens and may thereby impact breast cancer risk.”

Incidentally, polyphenols are behind a long list of other green tea benefits, like:


Incidentally, polyphenols are behind a long list of other green tea benefits, like:

Alzheimer’s prevention
younger looking skin
reducing inflammation
weight loss, reducing belly fat, protecting your eyes, and even beating superbugs
In conclusion? You should be drinking green tea, already.

Photo: flickr user A Girl With Tea



Read more: http://www.blisstree.com/2013/02/25/food/nutrition/green-tea-benefits/#ixzz2M2WrJhIZ