Research suggests that drinking green tea regularly (about five cups a day) can help fight the progression of cancers including mesothelioma. For instance, green tea, if consumed daily will:
- delay the occurrence of cancer
- reduce the rate of cancer in large populations
- combat the effects of cancer
- lower an individual’s total cholesterol level
- improve the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol
Add Green Tea to a Mesothelioma Patient’s Diet
The diet and nutrition of a mesothelioma patient can make a significant difference in his or her well-being, whether during treatment or as an aspect of palliative care, and green tea can be an excellent addition to the diet due to its many health benefits.
Not Black Tea, Not Oolong Tea
Green tea is different from black tea and oolong tea. All three categories of tea are made from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), but they are processed in different ways. The black and oolong teas are made from fermented leaves of the plants, but for green tea the leaves are simply steamed — not fermented.
Fighting Free Radicals that Do Cell Damage
The green tea leaves thus keep the compounds that make them so healthy: catechin polyphenols and a very powerful anti-oxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Anti-oxidants are substances that help protect the human body’s cells against damage from free radicals. Other examples of anti-oxidants are vitamins A and C, and a recent study at the University of Kansas indicated that green tea is about 100 times stronger than vitamin C at deactivating free radicals.
The only possible “downside” of green tea that has been found is its caffeine, but the caffeine in tea is rather low compared to coffee (roughly 100 mg or more caffeine per cup of coffee, but just 30–60 mg in tea). Besides, there are plenty of brands of decaffeinated green tea available in the U.S.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you would like more information and resources about helpful, natural treatments such as green tea, please contact the Mesothelioma Treatment Center today. We can also help you with medical and legal resources.
