A team of researchers solved the mystery behind how green tea reduces the risk of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer.
Green tea has long been associated with a string of health benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer. However, previous studies were not able to determine the exact link between green tea and reduced cancer risk. A group of researchers conducted a study to find the mechanism, which could help in the development of new cancer-fighting treatment.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, is found in abundance in green tea extracts and it is this ester that is responsible for the cancer-fighting properties of the beverage. It suppresses the expression of an enzyme known as LDHA, which is associated with cancer.
"Scientists had believed they needed a molecular mechanism to treat cancer, but this study shows that they can change the metabolic system and have an impact on cancer," said Wai-Nang Lee, lead researcher of the study, in a press release. "By explaining how green tea's active component could prevent cancer, this study will open the door to a whole new area of cancer research and help us understand how other foods can prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous cells."
For the study, researchers used sophisticated metabolic profiling methods. During the study, researchers found that EGCG disrupted the balance of "flux" throughout the cellular metabolic network in the same manner that oxamate, a known LDHA inhibitor, did.
"This is an entirely new way of looking at metabolism," said Dr. Lee. "It is no longer a case of glucose goes in and energy comes out. Now we understand how cancer cell metabolism can be disrupted, and we can examine how we can use this knowledge to try to alter the course of cancer or prevent cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially over nearly 40 years. It is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. It also has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. About 94 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within five years of diagnosis. Only 6 percent survive more than five years and 74 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis.
According to statistics revealed by the American Cancer Society, about 46,420 people (23,530 men and 22,890 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2014. Among these, 39,590 people (20,170 men and 19,420 women) will die from the disease.
The study was published in the journal, Metabolomics.
