Cancer ሕማም መንሽሮ ‘ ምክልኻል








Cancer prevention: 7 tips to reduce your risk






By Mayo Clinic Staff











1. Don’t use tobacco









2. Eat a healthy diet

















3. Maintain a healthy weight and be physically active












4. Protect yourself from the sun














5. Get immunized










6. Avoid risky behaviors










7. Get regular medical care












Green Tea Antioxidants


Green tea leaves contain so-called ‘bioactive’ compounds, including green tea antioxidants, which act on our body in multiple beneficial ways. Specifically, green tea polyphenols known as catechins are believed to be responsible for many of the health benefits of green tea.



Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea and accounts for 50-75% of its total catechin content. EGCG is also the most effective green tea antioxidant as far as its health benefits are concerned – and it has been tested extensively over the past few years to better understand its potential cancer-fighting abilities.



The results of these studies clearly show that EGCG and other green tea antioxidants are toxic to cancer cells in laboratory experiments and indicate why health experts are so optimistic about their use in cancer therapies in the near future.



EGCG Stops Cancer Cells from Growing



Cancer cells are formed when our body’s cells break free of the normal cycle of growth and death and begin to grow uncontrollably, giving rise to harmful, even life-threatening tumors in different parts of the body. EGCG and other green tea antioxidants act in very specific ways to prevent cancer cells from growing – and are very likely responsible for at least some of the anticancer health benefits of green tea.



These antioxidants have been shown to prevent cancer cells from growing in multiple ways:



They lower cellular levels of a protein known as cyclin D1 that is needed by cancer cells to grow properly. EGCG also blocks enzymes that help to maintain cancer cells in the so-called ‘cell cycle’, which allows them to keep growing. Because of these actions, EGCG forces cancer cells to go into ‘growth arrest’ – meaning they stop growing, usually permanently.
EGCG also increases the levels of other important cellular proteins that make it very difficult for cancer cells to grow.


EGCG Kills Cancer Cells



In a very promising development, EGCG has been shown to kill many different types of cancer cells in laboratory conditions. One way in which EGCG does this is by triggering the activity of so-called ‘pro-death’ proteins, causing cancer cells to commit ‘suicide.’



In one study, treating breast cancer cells with EGCG led to so many of them dying that the study researchers were able to measure a significant reduction in tumor size. In other words, not only do EGCG and other green tea antioxidants stop cancer cells from growing – they also actively kill them.



EGCG Prevents Formation and Growth of New Blood Vessels in Tumors



When new blood vessels begin to form and grow in a tumor, it is known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis allows cancer cells to grow faster and spread to other areas of the body by providing them with much-needed nutrients and oxygen.


Studies show that EGCG prevents the expression of a so-called growth factor that is necessary for new blood vessels to form and grow. By doing so, EGCG prevents cancer cells from growing rapidly and spreading from one location to another and invading other parts of the body.



In one study, tumors treated with a potent extract of green tea leaves that contains concentrated tea polyphenols (including EGCG) had significantly fewer blood vessels and were noticeably smaller in size.



So is Green Tea a Proven Cancer Fighter?



It’s clear that EGCG and other green tea antioxidants can stop cancer cells from growing, even directly kill them. They also seem to be able to prevent new blood vessels from forming within tumors that help cancer cells to grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body. EGCG does this by interfering specifically with multiple biological mechanisms in cancer cells – and it appears to do so without affecting normal cells.



Health experts believe that these actions of EGCG and other green tea antioxidants are to a large extent responsible for the potential anticancer health benefits of green tea.



However, it must be remembered that so far the evidence for EGCG’s anticancer abilities comes mainly from laboratory studies. Because of these promising results, many human clinical trials have been carried out (and are still being carried out) to find out whether EGCG and green tea extract supplements can indeed protect us from developing cancer.



While the results of these studies have not been as clear-cut as health experts would have liked, all the available evidence suggests that daily consumption of two to three cups of green tea can help to lower your overall cancer risk without any serious side effects.



However, if you’re on prescription medications or are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to speak to your physician before adding green tea to your daily diet. And if you do experience any uncomfortable symptoms (such as nervousness, confusion, sleep issues, irritability), be sure to discontinue green tea immediately and consult your physician right away.



It’s also important to know that although many commercial iced and ready-to-drink versions of green tea are also quite popular nowadays, they may not have the same healthful levels of green tea antioxidants that you’ll get from a freshly brewed cup using real green tea leaves. The lower the amounts of tea leaves and buds, the lesser the antioxidant content, minimizing the health benefits of green tea.



Not only that, adding other liquids like juices or water further dilutes the levels of green tea antioxidants and weakens their health benefits. Decaffeinated green tea also has significantly lower levels of green tea antioxidants.



The antioxidant concentrations of green tea – and the health benefits you get from it – depend on the type and quality of green tea you use, how much you use, how long you brew it for, and the temperature of brewing.