Healing Power? Part 1:

  Courtesy of Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang For six months, scientists
studied the effects of green tea on Yangzhong Island residents who
live on the banks of the Yangtze River.

By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

In 1995, a group of UCLA scientists set off to China to study
the effects of green tea on the isolated population of Yangzhong,
an island situated off the banks of the Yangtze River.

The results of the research, which are published in this
month’s issue of the International Journal of Cancer,
unraveled some of the natural healing properties of green tea.

“This study was done on a Chinese population where stomach
cancer is a major problem,” said lead author of the paper,
Wendy Setiawan. “We found that green tea is protective
against stomach cancer and chronic gastritis.”

The study is the first to look at the relationship between green
tea and chronic gastritis, which can lead to cancer.

The healing components of green tea include antioxidants and
polyphenols, which are anti-cancer agents. Because the fermentation
process involved with black tea reduces the amount of polyphenol
and antioxidants, green tea is richer in these substances.

“We found that three cups per day was ideal, but for
treatment purposes, 10 cups would be sufficient,” said Dr.
Zuo-Feng Zhang, professor of epidemiology.

The scientists ventured out to the island in China to conduct an
observational controlled study. They interviewed people on the
island rather than conducting experiments on them. Researchers
asked about the tea drinking history of 133 people with stomach
cancer, 166 with chronic gastritis and 433 control subjects.

With the data collected, the scientists found that drinking
green tea leads to a 48 percent decrease of stomach cancer and a 51
percent drop in the risk of getting chronic gastritis.

Green tea, the scientists found, has the ability to prevent, not
cure, stomach cancer.

The amount of people inflicted with stomach cancer in the world
is only second to those who have lung cancer. Setiawan said 38
percent of patients who have stomach cancer live in China.

The team of scientists chose to study the inhabitants of
Yangzhong because the rate of stomach cancer on the island is four
to five percent more than the rest of the population in China.

“The Chinese diet has a lot of salt ““ which is a
strong risk factor to stomach cancer,” Setiawan said.

Zhang added that because Yangzhong is secluded, it does not have
the same access to the higher quality of food found on the
mainland.

“The island is very poor and isolated,” he said.
“They don’t eat much fresh fruit and
vegetables.”

Zhang said the effects of green tea may also reduce
cholesterol.

“The research found that the more you drink, the more
protection you get,” Setiawan said.

Some UCLA students who regularly drink green tea said it relaxes
them.

“I’ve been drinking green tea for ten years and
I’ve always liked the taste,” said Irene Sun,
third-year business economics student. “I don’t drink
it necessarily for the health reasons.”

But other students drink the tea as a digestive agent as well as
an alternative to coffee because it keeps them alert during late
nights of studying.

“I started drinking green tea last year and I know it has
a lot of health benefits,” said Christine Joseph, third-year
microbiology and molecular genetics student. “Its better than
having coffee running through your veins.”

Zhang said capsules containing polyphenols and antioxidants
derived from green tea are available.

Some students who are aware of the health benefits of green tea
prefer to swallow the drink rather than the pill.

“My uncle has been growing it in his back yard, in India,
for years and now its funny to see how these health companies are
putting green tea in a pill,” Joseph said.