An ancient drink fights off harmful effects of UV radiation. And it reduces the risk of skin cancer.

That’s according to Santosh Katiyar, Ph.D. He’s a senior scientist and professor. He was educated in India. And he’s been working for the University of Alabama Birmingham. He’s the recipient of the Research Career Scientist Award and the VA Merit Review Award. Both gave him significant grant money for his research.

Katiyar’s newest study looked at recent support of the beverage’s ability to protect and fight UV carcinogenesis.

Polyphenols at Work

We need to understand how the drink works. How can it prevent or possibly cure skin cancer? The answer is anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

The most abundant polyphenol in the drink is EGCG. It’s a special high potency antioxidant. One study published in Cancer Research showed its power. It binds and inhibits a protein involved in cancer cell survival.

Free radicals can cause cancer. EGCG is a potent free radical scavenger.

How the Drink Serves and Protects

The drink is green tea. It originally hails from China. But it’s popular throughout Asia, Japan, and the Middle East. And now science is catching on… to its many health benefits.

Katiyar showed that green tea polyphenols (GTPs) protect the skin in several ways. First, they boost interleukin-12. (That’s an immune system chemical.) And they repair DNA. Katiyar says, “If green tea polyphenols can repair DNA, then they can prevent skin cancer.”

His team exposed two groups of mice to UV radiation. One group had EGCG applied to their skin. The other was left untreated. The EGCG group saw a reduction in tumors forming and spreading. DNA damage was repaired quickly. The same EGCG treatment was given to mice lacking a gene that codes interleukin-12. And the protective effect vanished.

He also found that GTPs prevent photocarcinogenesis. That’s how UV radiation induces cancer. And GTPs are proven to diminish tumor incidence, size, and multiplicity.

Dr. Katiyar concludes: “It is effective through oral administration in drinking water, as well as through topical application on the skin.”

Skin Cancer Growing Rapidly

Dr. Robert Kirsner is a professor of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He’s authored over 215 peer reviewed articles. He’s received awards for research, teaching, and clinical work.

He wrote about Dr. Katiyar’s green tea breakthrough. His journal article stated, “Skin cancer accounts for more new cases of cancer than all other cancers combined.”

The National Cancer Institute’s estimates agree. In 2010, there were over 1,000,000 new cases in the US.

His conclusion: “[GTPs] may be considered an effective strategy for the prevention of inflammation-associated skin diseases, including skin cancers.”

Reaping the Benefits of Green

Dr. Katiyar drinks two cups of green tea each day. He thinks people with fair skin may need up to six cups. Even more if they’re fighting cancer.

Here’s the best way to make it… Start with quality water. Make sure it’s not too hot. 165-170 degrees is ideal. Use one heaping teaspoon of leaves per eight ounces. Brew for about two minutes. And be careful not to stir or shake.

Green tea is also available as an extract. And in capsule form. You can find both online. Or at a health food store. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends 100-750 mg per day of the extract.

Check back tomorrow. We’re unveiling the truth about sunscreen in NHD Undercover. It’s not preventing cancer… it’s causing it.

To your best health,

Michael Jelinek,
Managing Editor, NHD “Health Watch”