Pancreas: Green tea stops cancer cells

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MunichGreen tea is said to have healing powers - there is now further proof of this. A certain substance inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the pancreas. That could also help preventively.

Altered metabolism

Compared to healthy cells, cancer cells have a different metabolism: Certain processes take place more frequently, others are inhibited. In pancreatic cancer, for example, a certain enzyme called lactate dehydrogenase A is increasingly produced. Researchers have had the idea of ​​using drugs to inhibit this substance for a long time.Now, Wai-Nang Lee and colleagues at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute found that green tea does just that.

Diet against cancer

"This study opens a new door in cancer therapy," said Lee. "It will help us to slow down cancer growth or prevent cancer through diet."

The active ingredient in the drink is called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG for short. This substance makes up about a third of the dry mass of green tea. EGCG is also present in black tea, but in significantly smaller quantities.

Bad prognosis

Pancreatic cancer is one of the rarer cancers, but one of the most insidious. The disease often goes on for a long time without symptoms, so that it is only recognized when the cancer is well advanced. Men between the ages of 60 and 80 are particularly often affected. (away)

Source: Qing-Yi Lu, Lifeng Zhang, Jennifer K. Yee, Vay-Liang W. Go, Wai-Nang Lee. Metabolic consequences of LDHA inhibition by epigallocatechin gallate and oxamate in MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells. Metabolomics, 2014; DOI: 10.1007 / s11306-014-0672-8

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