Which Teas Have the Best Anti-Cancer Effects?
Which Teas Have the Best Anti-Cancer Effects?
Recent research by Chinese scientists has found that major types of Chinese tea can inhibit the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines in the human body. Experimental results show that drinking green tea, oolong tea, flower tea, compressed tea, and black tea can block the formation of nitrosamine compounds in the body. For healthy individuals, consuming 1 gram of tea per day—infusing 150 ml of water three times—can partially block internal nitrosamine formation. Consuming tea water made from 3–5 grams of tea daily can completely inhibit nitrosamine synthesis in the body.
In various tea types, green tea shows the strongest anti-cancer effect. Professor Itarō Ogata of Shizuoka Prefectural University conducted a population survey across Shizuoka Prefecture, finding that residents in the western region had very low gastric cancer incidence and low mortality rates for other cancers. This area is famous for green tea production. Animal experiments yielded similar results. Researchers transplanted cancer cells into 35-day-old mice, then administered tea extracts. After 20 days, mice not given tea extract had tumors weighing 2.04 grams, whereas mice receiving daily doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg of green tea extract per kg body weight had tumor weights of 1.85 g, 1.02 g, and 0.82 g respectively—demonstrating a clear dose-dependent reduction, indicating green tea’s anti-tumor effect.
Researchers at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, studied the anti-cancer effects of various teas. All teas blocked N-nitroso compound synthesis, with an average inhibition rate of 65%—black tea 43%, green tea 82%, and most green teas exceeding 85%. The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences screened 180 foods for anti-cancer potential, finding green tea extract to be the most effective. Guangxi Cancer Research Institute studied green tea, black tea, shiitake mushrooms, lion’s mane mushrooms, mung beans, and reishi mushroom for liver cancer prevention, concluding green tea was most effective.