Green Tea’s Latest Coup

Many people believe the future can be seen in tea leaves, and it turns out an important weapon against cancer may be found there, too. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have discovered that EGCG, a substance derived from green tea, kills human leukemia cells.

Researchers looked at blood samples from ten patients in early stages of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of the disease in this country. In eight of the ten samples, EGCG triggered the death of leukemia cells within 24 hours.

The results are exciting because they may lead to an effective nontoxic treatment for patients who have been recently diagnosed. “Doctors don’t like to use something as aggressive as chemotheraphy in the early stages of a cancer that tends to grow very slowly,” says Yean Kit Lee, one of the study’s authors.

Other recent research in Japan suggests that EGCG supplements may play a role in cancer prevention, too, says Lee. But he’s not waiting for the results. “I drink green tea all the time,” he says.

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