Which Teas Have the Best Anti-Cancer Effects?
Which Teas Have the Best Anti-Cancer Effects?
Recent research by Chinese scientists shows that major categories of Chinese tea all inhibit the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines in the human body. Experimental results indicate that drinking green tea, oolong tea, flower tea, compressed tea, and black tea can block the formation of nitrosamines in the body. Normal individuals drinking 1 gram of tea daily, using 150 ml water per infusion, three times a day, can partially block internal nitrosamine formation. Drinking tea water made from 3–5 grams of tea daily can completely inhibit nitrosamine synthesis in the body.
Among various tea types, green tea exhibits the strongest anti-cancer effect. Professor Itarō Ogata of Shizuoka Prefectural University conducted a population survey in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, finding remarkably low rates of gastric cancer and other cancers in western residents—regions famous for green tea production. Animal experiments yielded similar results. Researchers transplanted cancer cells into 35-day-old mice, then administered tea extract. After 20 days, mice given no tea extract had tumors weighing 2.04 grams, while those receiving daily doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg green tea extract per kg body weight had tumor weights of 1.85 g, 1.02 g, and 0.82 g respectively—decreasing with higher dosage, clearly demonstrating 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 most effective. Guangxi Cancer Research Institute studied green tea, black tea, shiitake mushrooms, lion’s mane mushrooms, mung beans, and ganoderma for liver cancer prevention, again concluding green tea was most effective.