SARS
Wars
Author: Brenda Koth, MS, RD
Article submitted by Linda Sikut www.watkinsonline.com/LSikut
The spread of SARS,
West Nile and other diseases has us all on alert, but a
study just released provides great hope for protection against
these and other ailments. A new study found that drinking
green, black or oolong tea-but not herbal tea-boosts the
body's defenses by 500% against bacteria, viruses, fungi,
and parasites. After drinking tea for four weeks, tea drinkers
secreted five times more interferon, the body's key infection
fighter, than when they were not drinking tea. Coffee drinkers
showed no increase in immunity. With new diseases emerging,
our best defense is our very own immune system. Tea gives
us the ability to increase our immune defenses fivefold,
providing a tremendous advantage over infection and disease.
Watkins TheraTea beverages, and TheraTrim, our green-tea
based weight management formula, provide the immune boosting
benefits of green tea in a beverage or a supplement, to
give you a fighting force against illness. |
After hearing that tea is effective in cancer prevention, writing
the SARS report and having the small
article above submitted the next day, I set off to investigate:
Does green
and/or black tea really help your body fight serious disease?
Charity
Wire holds this report from the American Institute for Cancer
Research (AICR) from 1999: "Black and green teas can help
to inhibit cancer [at every stage. From pre-cancer to] initiation,
promotion, progression and metastasis."
While I didn’t find
much more on the relation of tea and SARS prevention (there were
several mentions but none as comprehensive as the article above)
I was able to find more information on the tea link to cancer
prevention. For articles on the other wonderous health benefits
of tea, we've included a comprehensive group of articles.
How does tea work to fight
cancer?
Tea has long been recognized
in cancer prevention by working with the cells to block unstable
molecules that cause genetic damage. Now there seems to be more
to the process. Tea has more cancer- fighting elements than originally
proposed. Now, instead of just fighting cancer before it starts,
scientists believe it helps prevent cancer from moving to more
serious stages. The AICR article states that a class of substances,
called “flavonoids, [in tea] inhibit substances called cell-growth
factors, which transform normal cells into cancerous ones.”
Scientists noted years ago
that in giving cancerous rats tea, there was a reduction in the
progression of the disease. From there, they needed to test the
cancer-fighting tea on humans. But what is the appropriate amount
of tea in a human’s diet? There was a marked difference
in how much tea used directly on cells in a lab versus how much
tea a test animal needed to have the same effect.
What kind of tea, and how
do I make it?
While the choices are clear,
black and green tea, there is some question as to which one is
better. Dr. Roderick Dashwood of Oregon State University says
there are many factors to consider, "Both green
and black teas show anti-cancer activity," he said, "but
they have slightly different components, and are processed and
prepared using different methods.”
Green teas contain more
of one type of flavonoid while black teas contain two additional
varieties. Rats responded more effectively to green tea when prepared
the same way as black tea, but humans prepare tea with different
methods and have a completely different physiology than rats.
There are also questions about boiling water, the use of sugar,
milk and honey, and other factors that could interrupt the effectiveness
of the flavonoids.
While research has not pinpointed which tea is best, the AICR
touts that green tea contains three times the amount of one flavonoid
as black tea. (See an article about green tea from the AIRC here
)
How
much do I need?
So, just how much tea must we drink? The AICR notes than Japan
has a lower incidence of cancer, and, typically, the Japanese
drink up to four cups of tea each day. Some argue that only one
cup is needed. A report in USA Weekend.com stated recommends 3-6
8-ounce cups per day.
There seems to be no doubt that tea helps
to prevent cancer. Though the reports are conflicting on how much
we should drink, it seems that any green or black tea traditionally
brewed, and without added honey, sugar or other substances, is
better than none at all. Additionally, no one thing can prevent
cancer, but eating a balanced diet while also drinking tea would
increase cancer prevention.
A 1997 AICR report entitled “Food, Nutrition and the Prevention
of Cancer: A Global Perspective” examined over 4,500 international
studies on the link between diet and cancer. The report's panel
recommended a predominantly plant-based diet, regular exercise,
maintaining a healthy body weight, and avoiding tobacco for everyday
cancer prevention. They estimated that following these guidelines
could lower worldwide cancer rates by as much as 70 percent.
There is one important caveat, however: “Very high amounts
of green tea components (usually associated with over-dosage of
green tea supplements) have been shown to interact with drugs
that affect blood clotting, such as aspirin.” (AIRC http://aicr.org/information.....)
What about
my kids?
Jean Carper from USA Weekend.com
recommends restricting the amount of tea given to kids, because
tea removes iron from the body. "That may help combat chronic
disease but can cause anemia in young people," she reports.
Tea also contains caffeine, a drug
that brings its own set of health problems associated with it.
One alternative is taking green tea capsules, but I was unable
to find any reports on whether they are as effective in fighting
cancer as a steeped tea.
Special Report By
Gina Ritter
BPO Editor
Other
articles on the benefits of tea
Information gathered
from:
http://www.charitywire.com/00-00195.htm
www.aicr.org
http://www.aacr.org/1100_files....
http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/10/green_tea_cancer.htm
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