Introductions, General Knowledge and Reduction of Oxidative Damage

Introduction
According to the Canadian Cancer Society approximately 159,900 people will be diagnosed with cancer and an estimated 72,700 deaths will occur in 2007 due to the disease. While research is always being done on causes and risk factors for cancer, many studies are finding that diet plays a key role in its prevention. Along with overall health and wellness, researchers are suggesting that tea consumption could reduce the risk of some types of cancer. It is now believed that flavonoids, which are naturally occurring in tea, may help prevent or delay the formation of tumours as well as help maintain normal cell growth. Flavonoids are also believed to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals and other carcinogens and help the body rid itself of these carcinogens by acting as antioxidants. Polyphenols, which are also naturally occurring in tea, have been found to protect animals from skin, lung, liver, colon and other gastrointestinal cancers. Scientists suggest that tea appears to prevent cancer causing chemicals from damaging cells, slows the growth rate of precancerous cells and helps the body to naturally kill precancerous and cancerous cells. While the evidence supporting tea as a positive contributor to cancer health is growing it is not yet definitive and more research needs to be conducted in this area.

-Tea Association of Canada, 2007

General Knowledge

To get the most health and wellness benefits from tea, research has shown that the length of time you let your tea brew is essential in reaping the rewards that tea has to offer the body. It has been suggested by the scientists at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen that the concentration of antioxidants, which destroy damaging free radicals that are linked to causing cancer and heart disease, are at their peak after five minutes of brewing.

-Times Online, May 27, 2007


Reduction of Oxidative Damage

Oxidative DNA Damage is one of the contributing factors in cancer development and cardiovascular disease. In a study conducted by the University of Arizona and the Arizona Cancer Center and published in the Journal of Nutrition, scientists looked at the consumption of decaffeinated tea vs. water in 143 heavy smokers. At the conclusion of the study they found that the participants who drank four 8oz cups of Green Tea every day for four months lowered their levels of 8-OHdG, which is an indicator of Oxidative DNA Damage, by 31%. Those who consumed four 8oz glasses of water or Black Tea during the duration of the study did not have a significant drop. (Smokers were chosen in this study because cigarette smoking causes high levels of Oxidative DNA Damage, thus making changes easy to detect).

-Tea Association of Canada, 2007