Green Tea Extract

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What Is Green Tea Extract?

Green Tea extract is a potent antioxidant and has recently shown promising results in controlled studies, which have identified the polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the responsible component. EGCG is able to force certain cancer cells to die or be killed, called "apoptosis". Further evidence shows EGCG as having an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, urokinase, which is required for tumor formation, thus preventing the formation of tumors.

Why Our Green Tea Extract Is Better

Our Green Tea Extract is a naturally extracted, 2:1 concentration, with 500mg per vegetarian capsule. One capsule of our green tea extract contains approximately 200mg EGCG.

Who Should Consider Green Tea Extract?

What is amazing about green tea is its reported ability to ward off many types of cancer. Much of the initial evidence that green tea is anti-carcinogenic is based on epidemiological studies which show lower rates of many types of cancer among populations such as Japan and China that drink green tea as part of a daily cultural habit. Recently, however, controlled studies on green tea extract have yielded impressive results, identifying the polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the responsible component. EGCG is able to force certain cancer cells into a situation in which, incredible as it may seem, they must die or be killed; the cancer cells die in a sort of cellular suicide, a condition scientists call "apoptosis". Further evidence shows EGCG as having an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, urokinase, which is required for tumor formation, thus preventing the formation of tumors in the first place.^{3,4,8-11,14-20,22-27,35}

Not only are the polyphenols in green tea protective against certain cancers, but they are also potent antioxidants. Green tea's antioxidants have been shown to be highly beneficial to the heart - they help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.^29-33

More Information:
When we first learned of the incredible new discoveries concerning green tea, we thought we were in for a long and tedious education on teas (we're all devoted coffee drinkers!). But we were pleasantly surprised (and our science writer quit coffee in favor of green tea!) Don't be daunted by the apparent myriad varieties of tea; by "tea" we mean the leaf of the plant, Camellia sinensis - other so-called "herbal teas" (a misnomer because Camellia sinensis is an herb) are meant to be any infusion other than that of Camellia sinensis. There are really only three categories of teas: green, oolong, and black. Each of these is the leaf of Camellia sinensis and differs only in duration of fermentation: "black" is fully fermented, "oolong" is partially fermented, and "green" is not fermented at all, only steamed. Types of tea such as Ceylon and Darjeeling refer to the region in which they are grown.

Things to know about Green Tea:

• Epidemiological studies have examined green tea drinkers; controlled studies have largely been done on the extract of green tea. Both are beneficial.


• One cup of green tea contains from 100-200mg of EGCG.


• One capsule of our green tea contains approximately 200mg EGCG


• Green tea should not be steeped in boiling water, but hot water (around 160-200 degrees). Use 1 Teaspoon of loose tea per cup, and a little more than 1 cup of water.


• Decaffeinated green tea does not show the same benefits as green tea left in its natural state.


• Adding milk negates green tea's beneficial properties.

References

Green Tea References / Additional Resources

1. Annabi, B., M. P. Lachambre, N. Bousquet-Gagnon, M. Page, D. Gingras and R. Beliveau (2002). "Green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate inhibits MMP-2 secretion and MT1-MMP-driven migration in glioblastoma cells." Biochim Biophys Acta 1542(1-3): 209-20.


2. Aucamp, J., A. Gaspar, Y. Hara and Z. Apostolides (1997). "Inhibition of xanthine oxidase by catechins from tea (Camellia sinensis)." Anticancer Res 17(6D): 4381-5.


3. Brown, M. D. (1999). "Green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract and its possible role in the prevention of cancer." Altern Med Rev 4(5): 360-70.


4. Higashi-Okai, K. and Y. Okai (1998). "Potent suppressive activity of chlorophyll a and b from green tea (Camellia sinensis) against tumor promotion in mouse skin." J Uoeh 20(3): 181-8.


5. Jodoin, J., M. Demeule and R. Beliveau (2002). "Inhibition of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein activity by green tea polyphenols." Biochim Biophys Acta 1542(1-3): 149-59.


6. Kapadia, G. J., B. D. Paul, E. B. Chung, B. Ghosh and S. N. Pradhan (1976). "Carcinogenicity of Camellia sinensis (tea) and some tannin-containing folk medicinal herbs administered subcutaneously in rats." J Natl Cancer Inst 57(1): 207-9.


7. Katiyar, S. K., R. Agarwal, Z. Y. Wang, A. K. Bhatia and H. Mukhtar (1992). "(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Camellia sinensis leaves from Himalayan region of Sikkim: inhibitory effects against biochemical events and tumor initiation in Sencar mouse skin." Nutr Cancer 18(1): 73-83.


8. Katiyar, S. K. and H. Mukhtar (1997). "Tea antioxidants in cancer chemoprevention." J Cell Biochem Suppl 27: 59-67.


9. Kavanagh, K. T., L. J. Hafer, D. W. Kim, K. K. Mann, D. H. Sherr, A. E. Rogers and G. E. Sonenshein (2001). "Green tea extracts decrease carcinogen-induced mammary tumor burden in rats and rate of breast cancer cell proliferation in culture." J Cell Biochem 82(3): 387-98.


10. Mukhtar, H., Z. Y. Wang, S. K. Katiyar and R. Agarwal (1992). "Tea components: antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic effects." Prev Med 21(3): 351-60.


11. Okai, Y. and K. Higashi-Okai (1997). "Potent suppressive activity of nonpolyphenolic fraction of green tea (Camellia sinensis) against genotoxin-induced umu C gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium (TA 1535/pSK 1002), tumor promotor-dependent ornithine decarboxylase induction of BALB/c 3T3 fibroblast cells, and chemically induced mouse skin tumorigenesis." Teratog Carcinog Mutagen 17(6): 305-12.


12. Sakamoto, K. (2000). "Synergistic effects of thearubigin and genistein on human prostate tumor cell (PC-3) growth via cell cycle arrest." Cancer Lett 151(1): 103-9.


13. Weisburger, J. H. (1997). "Tea and health: a historical perspective." Cancer Lett 114(1-2): 315-7.


14. Shim, J. S., M. H. Kang, Y. H. Kim, J. K. Roh, C. Roberts and I. P. Lee (1995). "Chemopreventive effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis) among cigarette smokers." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 4(4): 387-91.


15. Valcic, S., B. N. Timmermann, D. S. Alberts, G. A. Wachter, M. Krutzsch, J. Wymer and J. M. Guillen (1996). "Inhibitory effect of six green tea catechins and caffeine on the growth of four selected human tumor cell lines." Anticancer Drugs 7(4): 461-8.


16. Yang, C. S., J. Y. Chung, G. Yang, S. K. Chhabra and M. J. Lee (2000). "Tea and tea polyphenols in cancer prevention." J Nutr 130(2S Suppl): 472S-478S.


17. Yang, C. S., S. Prabhu and J. Landau (2001). "Prevention of carcinogenesis by tea polyphenols." Drug Metab Rev 33(3-4): 237-53.


18. Hastak, K., S. Gupta, et al. (2003). "Role of p53 and NF-kappaB in epigallocatechin-3-gallate-induced apoptosis of LNCaP cells." Oncogene 22(31): 4851-9.


19. Rosengren, R. J. (2003). "Catechins and the treatment of breast cancer: Possible utility and mechanistic targets." IDrugs 6(11): 1073-8.


20. Pilorget, A., V. Berthet, et al. (2003). "Medulloblastoma cell invasion is inhibited by green tea (-)epigallocatechin-3-gallate." J Cell Biochem 90(4): 745-55.


21. Lambert, J. D. and C. S. Yang (2003). "Mechanisms of cancer prevention by tea constituents." J Nutr 133(10): 3262S-3267S.


22. Kemberling, J. K., J. A. Hampton, et al. (2003). "Inhibition of bladder tumor growth by the green tea derivative epigallocatechin-3-gallate." J Urol 170(3): 773-6.


23. Einspahr, J. G., G. T. Bowden, et al. (2003). "Skin cancer chemoprevention: strategies to save our skin." Recent Results Cancer Res 163: 151-64; discussion 264-6.


24. Adhami, V. M., N. Ahmad, et al. (2003). "Molecular targets for green tea in prostate cancer prevention." J Nutr 133(7 Suppl): 2417S-2424S.


25. Ahn, W. S., S. W. Huh, et al. (2003). "A major constituent of green tea, EGCG, inhibits the growth of a human cervical cancer cell line, CaSki cells, through apoptosis, G(1) arrest, and regulation of gene expression." DNA Cell Biol 22(3): 217-24.


26. Morre, D. J., D. M. Morre, et al. (2003). "Tea catechin synergies in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and of a cancer specific cell surface oxidase (ECTO-NOX)." Pharmacol Toxicol 92(5): 234-41.


27. Fujiki, H., M. Suganuma, et al. (2003). "New TNF-alpha releasing inhibitors as cancer preventive agents from traditional herbal medicine and combination cancer prevention study with EGCG and sulindac or tamoxifen." Mutat Res 523-524: 119-25.


28. Katiyar, S. K. (2003). "Skin photoprotection by green tea: antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects." Curr Drug Targets Immune Endocr Metabol Disord 3(3): 234-42.


29. Raederstorff, D. G., M. F. Schlachter, et al. (2003). "Effect of EGCG on lipid absorption and plasma lipid levels in rats." J Nutr Biochem 14(6): 326-32.


30. Miura, Y., T. Chiba, et al. (2001). "Tea catechins prevent the development of atherosclerosis in apoprotein E-deficient mice." J Nutr 131(1): 27-32.


31. Osada, K., M. Takahashi, et al. (2001). "Tea catechins inhibit cholesterol oxidation accompanying oxidation of low density lipoprotein in vitro." Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 128(2): 153-64.


32. Miura, S., J. Watanabe, et al. (1995). "Effects of various natural antioxidants on the Cu(2+)-mediated oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein." Biol Pharm Bull 18(1): 1-4.


33. Miura, S., J. Watanabe, et al. (1994). "The inhibitory effects of tea polyphenols (flavan-3-ol derivatives) on Cu2+ mediated oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein." Biol Pharm Bull 17(12): 1567-72.
    
34. Dulloo, A. G., C. Duret, D. Rohrer, L. Girardier, N. Mensi, M. Fathi, P. Chantre and J. Vandermander (1999). "Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans." Am J Clin Nutr 70(6): 1040-5.
    
35. Stratton, S. P., R. T. Dorr, et al. (2000). "The state-of-the-art in chemoprevention of skin cancer." Eur J Cancer 36(10): 1292-7.

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