Green tea mechanism supports anti-cancer activity

This is interesting news for those who have or concern about prostate cancer... I will share my knowledge on these in my later article..

Green tea mechanism supports anti-cancer activity
01/12/2004 - The polyphenols present in green tea help prevent the spread of prostate cancer by targeting molecular pathways that shut down the proliferation and spread of tumour cells, as well as inhibiting the growth of tumour nurturing blood vessels, finds new research.

A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, have documented the role of green tea polyphenols in modulating the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)-driven molecular pathway in prostate tumour cells in a mouse model for human prostate cancer.

Their report, in today's issue of Cancer Research, lends further support to the protective effects of green tea for functional foods. Plant extract suppliers are increasingly looking to reach supplement makers with highly concentrated products.

"Consumption of green tea polyphenols led to reduced levels of IGF-1," explained Dr Hasan Mukhtar from the department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin, the senior author of the new study.

"Green tea polyphenols also led to increased levels of one of the binding proteins for IGF-1, the insulin growth factor binding protein-3. These observations bear significance in light of studies that indicate increased levels of IGF-1 are associated with increased risk of several cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung and colon."

Green tea polphenols also caused reduced expression of proteins known to be associated with the metastatic spread of cancer cells and contributed to minimizing tumour development by governing the amount of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum of the prostate cancer mouse model. By reducing the amount of VEGF, the polyphenols work to minimize nutrients flowing to and supporting tumour growth. Read More...
Green tea mechanism supports anti-cancer activity