A new study appears to add to growing evidence that green tea might help protect against cancer.

U.S. researchers gave 41 volunteers with pre-malignant mouth lesions green tea extract for three months at doses of 500 milligrams per meter squared (mg/m2), 750 mg/m2 or 1,000 mg/m2. The extract was taken by mouth. Other participants took a placebo.
The study found that about 59 percent of people taking the highest dose of the green tea extract showed a clinical response, compared with 18 percent of those who took a placebo. The researchers also noted a trend toward improvement in certain biomarkers that could predict cancer development.

During the study period of about 28 months, 15 people developed oral cancer. People who took the green tea extract and those who didn't were equally likely to develop the cancer. However, people who had mild to moderate dysplasia, or abnormal cell growth, at the start of the study took longer to develop oral cancer if they took the green tea extract.

Study author Dr. Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulo, a professor in the department of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said the findings were encouraging but did not provide definitive proof that green tea can prevent cancer.

"This is a phase 2 study with a very limited number of patients who took what would be the equivalent of drinking eight to 10 cups of green tea every single day. We cannot with certainty claim prevention benefits from a trial of this size," Papadimitrakopoulo said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research.

"The goal of this kind of research is to determine whether or not these supplements have long-term prevention effects," Papadimitrakopoulo noted. "More research, including studies in which individuals at high risk are exposed to these supplements for longer time periods, is still needed to answer that sort of question."

The findings were released online in advance of publication in the November print issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

More information

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more about green tea.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research, news release, Nov. 5, 2009

New studies conducted at Pace University have indicated that White Tea Extract (WTE) may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that cause Staphylococcus infections, Streptococcus infections, pneumonia and dental caries. Researchers present their findings today at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

"Past studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease," says Milton Schiffenbauer, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor in the Department of Biology at Pace University’s Dyson College of Arts & Sciences and primary author of the research. "Our research shows White Tea Extract can actually destroy in vitro the organisms that cause disease. Study after study with tea extract proves that it has many healing properties. This is not an old wives tale, it’s a fact."

White tea was more effective than green tea at i
nactivating bacterial viruses. Results obtained with the bacterial virus, a model system; suggest that WTE may have an anti-viral effect on human pathogenic viruses. The addition of White Tea Extract to various toothpastes enhanced the anti-microbial effect of these oral agents.

Studies have also indicated that WTE has an anti-fungal effect on Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the presence of WTE, Penicillium spores and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells were totally inactivated. It is suggested that WTE may have an anti-fungal effect on pathogenic fungi.

Several findings in the new study are of particular interest:
    * The anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect of white tea (Stash and Templar brands) is greater than that of green tea.
    * The anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect of several toothpastes including Aim, Aquafresh, Colgate, Crest and Orajel was enhanced by the addition of white tea extract.
    * White tea extract exhibited an anti-fungal effect on both Penicillium chrysogenum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
    * White tea extract may have application in the inactivation of pathogenic human microbes, i.e., bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

source: innovations-result.com

A common and popular herbal remedy may be able to help diabetics control their blood sugar and prevent serious complications, according to a study conducted by researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales and the University of Toyama in Japan, and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

"These results clearly suggested that daily consumption of chamomile tea with meals could contribute to the prevention of the progress of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications", the researchers wrote.

Researchers fed rats with Type 2 diabetes a chamomile-mimicking extract every day for three weeks, and observed a subsequent 25 percent drop in the animals' blood sugar levels. Based on these findings, the researchers believe that taking chamomile tea with meals might lead to similar benefits in humans.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body loses sensitivity to the sugar-regulating hormone insulin, leading to a dangerous rise in blood sugar levels. Over time, elevated blood sugar can destroy bodily tissues, leading to complications like diabetic neuropathy, blindness, and damage to the kidneys or circulatory system.

The researchers found that chamomile appeared to reduce the activity of an enzyme called aldose reductase, which plays an important role in sugar metabolism. Aldose reductase helps turn glucose into sorbitol, a different sugar. In diabetics, the buildup of sorbitol has been directly linked to neuropathy and blindness, as this sugar moves across cell membranes less freely than glucose and thus has a tendency to build up in nerve and eye tissue.

Chamomile, also known as manzanilla, has long been used as a home remedy to reduce stress, improve sleep, and alleviate complaints from colds to digestive upset to menstrual cramps. It is believed to contain more antioxidants than nearly any other natural dietary source.

"It is quite fascinating", lead researcher Robert Nash said. "It seems to be doing a lot of different things all at once".

Article Source: newsfood.com

Looking to boost your memory?

Follow what the Brits have been doing for over 350 years, the Japanese for 1,200 years and the Chinese for over 5,000 years. Drink tea.

A team from the Medicinal Plant Research Centre at Newcastle University in northeast England makes this recommendation about both green and black tea.

Their research found that tea inhibits the activity of key enzymes in the brain associated with memory.

The researchers hope their findings, published in the Phytotherapy Research journal will lead to the development of a new treatment for Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's effects approximately 10 million people every year.

Lead researcher Dr. Ed Okello has high hopes that drinking regular cups of tea could help improve your memory.