Combining Green Tea Extract with Reishi Mushroom improves the effects on breast cancer cells

Scientists at the Cancer Research Laboratory, Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis show that either a Green Tea Extract or Reishi Mushroom inhibits the formation of breast cancer cell colonies as well as inhibiting their proliferation. However, adding the two together not only improved the ability of the supplements to fight the cancer, it also increased the variety of mechanisms by which they fight breast cancer. There is a suggested potential use for combining the effects of the mushroom along with Green Tea Extract for suppressing the growth and invasiveness of metastatic breast cancer. The study is published in the April 2007 issue of the International Journal of Oncology.

Larger servings of Green Tea Polyphenols may decrease damage in the heart of diabetics

In diabetic patients collagen becomes cross linked in many organs and tissues including the heart muscle in a process known as glycation. This leads to stiffening of the heart muscle and contributes to heart disease. In this study severely diabetic mice were supplemented with a high potency Green Tea Extract for 4 weeks. The Green Tea Extract helped lower blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin and systolic blood pressure in the diabetic animals and also lowered the level of AST, LDH, and CPK; elevated levels of these enzymes can indicate heart muscle injury. Signs of collagen glycation were decreased in the heart muscle of Green Tea supplemented mice. The study is published in the February 2007 issue of the journal Pharmacological Research.