Green tea has antioxidants that may help protect the body's cells from becoming damaged and even protect against various cancers. It is believed that the polyphenol chemicals have the healthful antioxidant properties to fight against cancer, including breast cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), which says that animal and lab experiments have shown that polyphenols inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Polyphenols may help to kill cancer cells and stop their progression in a variety of cancers.
Regular Drinking
Cancer rates, including breast cancer rates, are lower in countries, such as Japan, where green tea is regularly consumed, UMMC notes. But it still has not been determined if it is the drinking of green tea that lowers cancer rates in Japan and other countries.
Antioxidant
A study by University of Mississippi researchers found that the antioxidant EGCG found in green tea might significantly inhibit breast tumor growth in female mice, it was reported in the April 8, 2008 issue of "American Physiological Society." The EGCG chemical is high in certain green teas. It may help reduce breast cancer by targeting tumor blood vessels and tumor cells of breast cancer, and stop new blood vessels from forming tumors and breast cancer cells, according to Dr. Jian-Wei Gu, senior researcher for the study.
Populations
Another study at the Cancer Center, the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis found that green tea and polyphenols have anti-carcinogenic properties to beat breast cancer. The researchers analyzed 13 papers that examined populations in eight countries related to the drinking of green or black tea and breast cancer risk. The researchers concluded there was a lower risk for breast cancer with the consumption of green tea.
Recurrence
In a study of 1,160 women and follow-up study at the Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center in Japan, women who drank the most green tea had the least recurrence of breast cancer. This was especially true of women in the early stages of breast cancer. UMMC points to research of women in the early stages of breast cancer who drank five cups of tea a day before being diagnosed with the disease. They were less likely to have recurrences of the cancer following treatment.
Late Stages
UMMC reports that studies of green tea and breast cancer remain inconclusive. Women in the late stages of breast cancer may have little or no improvement when drinking green tea. One study in Japan found no link between drinking green tea and reducing the risk of breast cancer, according to UMMC.
