Princeton's Ask The Doctor September/October 2019

Can Oolong Tea Extract Fight Breast Cancer? By: Lauren Kolacki

OUR DEPARTMENTS Health Articles and Q&A Pages .......................... 7 Your questions answered from local physicians, medical news and information Kids’ Health & Camp ........................................... 11 Information, news and expert advice to raising healthy children from pregnancy to 18 The Healthy Palate ............................................. 19 Recipes to enjoy and local dining options for eating out Healthy Mind & Soul ..........................................23 Inspirational stories and advice on achieving mental balance and clarity Men’s Health .......................................................26 Expert tips for Men’s health and fitness As We Age .......................................................... 30 Articles and physician information just for seniors Healthy Home .....................................................39 Here you will find expert tips to make your home healthier, safe and fabulous Financial Health ............................................... 49 Information, resources and news related to the health and well-being of your financial future I Am Beautiful .....................................................57

Oolong tea extract has 'great potential' in the prevention of breast cancer, scientists believe because it was shown to stop tumors from growing at a lab at St. Louis University. Laboratory tests showed the Chinese tea, used for centuries for its supposed health benefits, stopped the growth of breast cancer cells. Researchers found the ex- tract hampered the DNA of the cancer cells, inhibiting the growth and progression of tu- mors. Green tea showed similar promise, the scientists said. However, black and dark tea had little effect on the cells. Scientists at St Louis Uni- versity, Missouri, also analyzed the rates of breast cancer and deaths from the disease across China. Their analysis found regions with high oolong tea consump- tion had generally lower rates of the disease. The team now says the tea offers promise as a non-toxic approach to prevent breast can- cer, which one in eight women will develop in their lifetime. Researchers, led by Dr. Chunfa Huang, examined the effect of oolong tea extract on six breast cancer cell lines. “Green and oolong tea extracts prohibited breast cancer cell growth in all six breast cancer cell lines,” Dr. Huang says. The team said, “From our results, oolong tea, much like green tea, plays a role in inhib- iting breast cancer cell growth, proliferation and tumor pro- gression.” Oolong tea originates from China. Any tea that has been oxidized between eight and 85 percent (semi oxidized) can be considered an oolong tea. Tea oxidation is one of many steps in the production of oolong tea. As soon as you pluck a tea- leaf, it starts to oxidize. Black teas are fully oxidized whereas green teas are hardly oxidized

at all. Oolong, also known as 'black dragon tea' falls into the middle. A cup would contain caf- feine, vitamins, minerals, ami- no acids and beneficial tea polyphenol antioxidants, ac- cording to USDA Food Com- position Databases. These properties all have potential for health benefits in- cluding weight loss, brain func- tion, heart health and diabetes prevention. But their efficacy in tea needs more research. Oolong tea is mostly pro- duced in China, where people have been using it for its sup- posed medicinal purposes for a historic period of time. There- fore, the scientists also looked at 2014 data from the Chinese and Fujian province cancer reg- istry annual report. They found that the incidence of breast cancer in the Fujian province was 35 percent lower than the national average. Those who drank the most oolong tea had a 25 percent lower incidence compared to the average Fujian, and 50 per- cent lower than the national average. They also appeared to have a lower mortality rate - the death rate of high consumers of oolong tea in Fijian was 68 per- cent lower than the national average, according to the find- ings published in the journal Anticancer Research. “It is clear that more study is needed,” Dr. Huang said. “The lower incidence and mortality in regions with higher oolong tea consumption indicate that oolong tea has great potential for its anti-cancer properties.” More than 250,000 wom- en in the U.S. were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, and around 41,000 die from the illness each year. Prevention and early diagnosis are key to improving future health pros- pects.

Publishing Enterprises, Inc. GUNTHER

Monmouth County’s ASK THE DOCTOR The Greater Princeton Area ASK THE DOCTOR THE MILLSTONE TIMES

Publisher Cami Gunther

Marketing Representative Leanne Swallwood

Interns Nicole Iuzzolino Danielle Testa Gabriella Mancuso

Writers PamTeel Lauren Kolacki

Art Director/ Graphic Designer Stephanie Frederick

Abigail Urban Preston Quinn

Download “Bar Code” app on your phone

Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to go directly to our website.

©2015byGuntherPublishingEnt.The contentofGPEpublicationsand itsaffiliatesare copyrighted.GPEpublicationsarepublished 12 timesayear.Established10/2008.DistributionandPostoffice receiptavailable.AllGPEproductsaredistributed freeof charge.Average readerper copy is2.1.No copyingor reproductionof the contentof thisnewspaper isallowedwithout theexpresswrittenpermission from thepublisher.GPEspublisher/owner reserves the rightsoverallelectronic copyingand reproductionofmaterial containedherewithin.The publisher,editor,agents,and sales staff reserve the right to reject theadvertisements forany reason.Credit formistakes shallnotexceed the costsof thead in themonthwhich theerroroccurred.

CONTACT US: PO Box 7632, Freehold, NJ 07728 Cami@GuntherPublications.com Phone (732) 995-3456 Fax (732) 677-3390

Find us on Facebook!

Follow us! @TMFTimes

Connect with Cami!

ASK THE DOCTOR

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

Made with FlippingBook HTML5