New studies indicate that loose leaf oolong tea can assist in damaging the breast cancer cells. The research also goes ahead to indicate that people who often take large amounts of oolong-tea tend to greatly reduce their chances of developing breast cancer.
In spite of the advances that have made been in screening and treatment procedures, breast cancer remains among the most common types of cancer. When it comes to women’s health, it also remains the second leading cause of all cancer-related deaths.
Statistics obtained from the American Cancer Society shows that close to 250,000 women developed breast cancer in the year 2017. Of this, only 210,000 women were classified as a cancer survivor, with the remaining 40,000 cases resulting in death.
Based on this content, it’s clear that researchers still need to do more to promote and develop new post-surgery cancer care strategies. Furthermore, looking at the many side effects that come with chemotherapy, there’s a dire need for the medical community to find non-toxic alternatives.
Keeping with this line of thought, scientists have been looking into the benefits possessed by loose leaf oolong tea concerning both women’s health and men’s health. Concerning breast cancer, they have established that the tea possesses certain compounds that contain essential anti-cancer effects.
Nonetheless, there are very few studies that have managed to look into other kinds of tea, and the role that they can play in preventing breast cancer. Today, there’s a new study that purposely focusses on the benefits provided by oolong tea.
The new research was led by Chunfa Huang, Ph.D., who currently happens to be an associate research professor working at Saint Louis University in the department of internal medicine. The university is located in Missouri.
Live Better with Cancer| Breast Cancer Cells Damage
Kent & Sussex Tea Company is an online company that supplies some of the best tea extracts in the market today. Using these extracts, Huang and the team were able to look at the kind of effects that the extract had on six different types of breast cancer cell lines. This included triple-negative, HER2-positive, PR-positive, and ER-positive breast cancer cells.
The team working on these cells was able to use varying concentrations of dark tea, green, black, and oolong-tea extracts supplied by Kent & Sussex Tea Company.
In the course of the research, the team was able to measure the DNA that had been damaged and examine the viability of these cells as well. They also looked at the cleavage and any other changes that could have occurred in the cell’s morphology in an attempt to determine how a cancer survivor could continue to live better with cancer.
Huang and the team were able to establish that oolong and green tea extracts were able to prevent the growth of all kinds of breast cancer cells. In contrast, the team found that dark and black tea extracts didn’t have any effect on breast cancer cells.
The conclusion from this research was that:
“oolong and green teas can be used to encourage DNA destruction and cleavage. As a result, they both play an active role in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth, tumorigenesis, and proliferation. This means that they both possess great potential as possible chemopreventive agents for this form of breast cancer and can be used by individuals undergoing post-surgery cancer care.”
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Breast Cancer Risk and Oolong Tea Drinkers
Also, the team undertaking this research looked into women’s and men’s health data from Fujian province and China. While analyzing the data, they established that people in Fujian province had a 35% less chance of developing breast cancer. Additionally, they were 38% less likely to die from this form of cancer compared to the national average.
It was also established that individuals who ingested large amounts of this tea frequently had a 25% less chance of developing breast cancer. This was as compared to Fujian’s province national average. Eventually, the team established that large consumers of this tea had 50% fewer chances of developing breast compared to the prevailing national average.
All in all, when these statistics were compared with the national average, large frequent consumers of this tea were sixty-eight percent less likely to die prematurely.
On completing the study, Huang noted that it was evident that further research was needed. But when the mortality rates and lower incidence numbers in areas that have a high consumption of this tea are considered, it’s clear that the tea comes with several anti-cancer properties.
Huang summarized the results by noting that:
“Based on the results we have obtained from our studies, oolong, just like green tea has a crucial role to play in preventing the growth of breast cancer cells, their proliferation, and the progression of tumors.”
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Additional Benefits of Consuming this Tea Obtained from Other Studies
Diabetes
Numerous past studies have indicated that this tea contains polyphenol antioxidants that can assist in reducing the risk of developing type2 diabetes while also assisting to enhance blood sugar control. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that studies touching on oolong all showed mixed results, which means that further research is needed in this area.
Weight Loss
Even though several studies have indicated that oolong can assist in weight loss, a particular study carried out in 2009 concluded that consuming the tea can aid in reducing body weight and enhance fat metabolism in obese or overweight subjects.
Heart Disease
Scientists taking part in a population study that was published in 2011 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health established that consuming oolong was associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular conditions. A second study established that men’s health was greatly boosted among individuals who took at least one cup of oolong tea each day.
Dental Health
Some studies have linked the consumption of this tea to reduced risks of developing dental plaque as well as to the development of better and healthier teeth. This is because oolong contains some fluoride that can be used to prevent cavities and to strengthen the tooth enamel.
