Green tea and Smoking
Reduce Lung Cancer Risk

Irritated by second hand smoke? Why should we be forced to breathe in carcinogens just because the other people are smoking?

You might be surprised that green tea’s many benefits extend to mitigating the harmful effects of smoke, especially if your body is not doing enough to remove these toxins.

A 2010 study showed that drinking green tea is effective in preventing cancer caused by smoking.

Researcher Lin Yi-hsin found that those who do not drink green tea are 5 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Those who do not drink green tea and smoke are 13 times more likely to develop the disease.

Professor Wong Jui-hung, who supervised Lin's research said:

A study conducted by the University of Arizona in United States studied the effects of smoking on heavy smokers.

100 women and 33 men participated in the study over 4 months. They drank either green tea, black tea or water.

Researchers found that drinking decaffeinated green tea reduces the levels of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OhdG). A marker of DNA damage, 8-OhDG is believed to cause cell damage.

"What we found was a 25% decrease in the green tea group," said Dr. Iman Hakim, who headed the study.

However, no changes were seen in people who drank black tea or water.

An enzyme called glutathione S-transferase plays a key role in the liver's ability to detoxify many of the carcinogens found in cigarette smoke.

Perhaps this is not surprising. After all, green tea has been known to protect the liver.

Some individuals lack the genetic ability to produce normal amounts of this beneficial enzyme. Unable to detoxify themselves, they are more susceptible to developing cancers.

Green tea has been found to be especially effective in reducing DNA damage for these individuals.

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