08 May 2007 - Green tea just keeps getting better. Previous studies claimed drinking green tea is beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis, HIV infection and keeps cancer and heart disease at bay. To add to the abundance of health-improving qualities of the beverage, UAB Researcher Santosh Katiyar, Ph.D., associate professor of dermatology, claims that it can reduce the risk of skin cancer.
According to Katiyar, the rich tumor-inhibiting green tea polyphenols, which include the antioxidant, epigallocatechin-3-gallae (EGGCG), protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation-induced damage and prevent skin tumor formation.
“Green tea prevents UV radiation induced suppression of the immune system, which has been considered a risk factor for the development of skin cancer,” he said.
Katiyar’s green tea research was most recently published in the May edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry and can be found online at www.sciencedirect.com. He has devoted the past 17 years to finding ways to prevent skin cancer. Grape and black raspberry consumption can also help prevent skin cancer, he said.
Just like access of anything is bad, the same holds true for green tea as well. In a recent report scientists warned that green tea will only help keep you healthy if it is taken in moderation. Too many cups a day could cause liver and kidney damage, say experts. Chung Yang of Rutgers of the State University of New Jersey says that though up to 10 small cups of green tea a day won’t do you any harm, it is people who take supplements, which can contain up to 50 times as much polyphenol as a single cup of tea, that are at risk.
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