John Myers
At first glance, apples and green tea have nothing in common. And yet they exist: Both contain highly effective polyphenols. Perhaps that is why the healing power of these foods has been so valued for thousands of years. Because polyphenols from apples and green tea can – if the two foods are consumed regularly and in sufficient quantities – nip a wide variety of chronic diseases in the bud. A recent study has now shown for the first time how polyphenols from green tea and apples fight cancer.
Polyphenols against cancer and other chronic diseases
Polyphenols are the secret of a healthy diet – a diet that protects against chronic diseases. Because whether cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, or dementia: more and more people worldwide are suffering from chronic diseases. In Germany, two out of five people are already affected and in Switzerland, every fifth person is treated by a doctor for a chronic illness – and the trend is rising.
The causes include in particular unhealthy nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, and environmental toxins. Conversely, a healthy diet with foods that contain plenty of polyphenols can ward off the so-called civilization diseases. Researchers from the Institute of Food Research (IFR) in the UK have now discovered how the polyphenols in green tea and apples work.
Polyphenols in green tea and apples make you healthy!
Polyphenols are found in most plants, including everyday foods like green tea and apples. For example, green tea contains the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and apples contain the polyphenol called procyanidin.
Polyphenols protect against free radicals, regulate blood pressure, inhibit inflammation, prevent cancer and thus have an extremely positive effect on health in a variety of ways.
dr Based on a study, Paul Kroon and his team have now succeeded in better understanding the mechanism of action of polyphenols. The researchers examined human blood vessels and discovered that polyphenols in green tea and apples block an important signaling molecule that has the complicated name “Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor” (VEGF for short). VEGF fulfills many different tasks Formation of new blood vessels.
How polyphenols from green tea and apples fight cancer
However, an increased concentration of VEGF can have a very negative effect on health, e.g. B. promotes vascular calcification and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, the signaling molecule plays a crucial role in the growth and spread of tumor cells. After all, tumors want to be cared for, which is why they stimulate the formation of their own blood vessels, through which they can supply themselves with nutrients. VEGF can now help tumors with precisely this blood vessel formation. However, cancer is more difficult to defeat the better equipped it is with blood vessels.
The study by Dr. Paul Kroon has now shown that polyphenols bind directly to the VEGF molecule and thereby inhibit its activity. Thus, it could be proven for the first time how specifically healthy foods containing polyphenols can prevent or fight cancer.
Since one would have to drink a lot of green tea (several cups a day) in order to consume enough polyphenols, green tea extract is often recommended, which contains a guaranteed amount of polyphenols (which is not the case with green tea and depends on the type of tea).
Even a small dose of polyphenols works!
Furthermore, the research team found that even relatively low polyphenol concentrations are sufficient to stop VEGF. But even for this “relatively low” polyphenol concentration, you should eat polyphenol-rich foods such as apples, Aronia berries, or grapes and drink green tea, cistus tea, or cocoa (without sugar!) regularly, i.e. daily, and avoid unhealthy foods at the same time. In this way, you can do a lot to protect yourself from diseases of civilization.
Polyphenols aren’t the only weapon of healthy foods. We have already described how apples, for example, can fight colon cancer due to their oligosaccharides in combination with apple enzymes: apples against colon cancer.
