Tea for Tumors? Study Says No

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20010523/hl/tea_for_tumors_study_says_no_1.html

            You may have heard that green tea contains cancer-fighting chemicals that ward off gastric tumors. But a new study says the soothing brew doesn't protect drinkers from stomach and intestinal cancers, no matter how much they imbibe. Green tea is rich in molecules called polyphenols, which, in animal studies, have suppressed tumor cells through a variety of mechanisms, including antioxidant activity, stunted division and induced cell suicide. Those studies, as well as highly publicized if inconclusive work in humans suggesting an anticancer effect, have made the tea and its extracts very popular. Studies followed more than 26,000 men and women over age 40 for nearly nine years, comparing their self-reported green tea intake with their chances of developing gastric tumors. After adjusting for smoking, alcohol consumption, intake of pickled foods and other factors that can affect gastric cancer risk, the study found no amount of tea, from zero to five or more cups a day, seemed to protect people from the disease. In fact, the researchers found that those who drank the most green tea had a higher risk of coming down with the disease. In addition, the researchers also found no links between gastric cancers and the consumption of coffee or black tea. Some studies say green tea protects against tumors, some say it doesn't, and some still say it does for some kinds of cancer but not for others.  But scientists say it only makes a tumor more likely.

            The significance of this article is, the tea is supposed to stimulate chemical reactions in your body to kill the sist or tumor.  Scientist’s say it doesn’t, it just leaves it alone. The tea may stimulate other chemical reactions, but not for a tumor.

            My opinion is this article was good because I know people that do the green tea thing. I drink tea to decongest my mucus and nake me feel fresh.  Its good to know that the green tea isn’t what it say’s it is.