Green Tea for persistent bad breath

Bad breath (halitosis) is caused mainly by the breakdown of food particles on the tongue releasing smelly sulfur gases such as hydrogen sulfide. A recent report by biologists at the annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas cites the bacterium Solobacterium moorei as being the organism largely responsible for up to 90% of all cases of persistent bad breath. The bacterium is associated with Periodontitis or severe gum disease.
In this newly published study researchers at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia looked into the effects of Green Tea on bad breath since Green Tea Polyphenols (the strongest antioxidants in tea) have antimicrobial and deodorant effects. Immediately after eating, Green Tea powder had the strongest ability of all the likely foods and food-constituents to decrease the level of volatile sulfur gases. Chewing gum, mints and parsley seed oil did not reduce the level of smelly-sulfur gasses. The refreshing study is published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology.

EGCG from Green Tea promising for fighting the growth and spread of breast cancer

EGCG, the most powerful antioxidant in green tea may be a powerful weapon against breast cancer. A new study shows the Green Tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) significantly slowed breast cancer growth in female mice; this adds to a number of previous studies, at least one of them examining the relationship of second occurrences in breast cancer survivors. Researchers say the results suggest that Green Tea's anticancer effects may be largely because of its high content of EGCG, which helps shield the body's cells from becoming damaged and aging prematurely.
In the study, presented this week at the Experimental Biology 2008 conference, researchers examined the effects of the Green Tea antioxidant on several indicators of breast cancer growth in laboratory mice. One group of the female mice was fed a solution of the antioxidant in water for five weeks while the other received regular drinking water. During the second week of the study, researchers injected both groups with breast cancer cells. At the end of the study, researchers measured tumor size, weight, and density as well as VEGF protein levels; this protein allows the tumor to feed itself with blood and stimulates its growth, and VEGF also supports cancer metastasis.
The results showed that treatment with the Green Tea antioxidant decreased tumor size by 66% and weight by 68% compared with the control group. Mice fed the antioxidant also had significantly fewer small blood vessels within tumors and lower VEGF protein levels. Researcher Jian-Wei Gu, of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, says the Green Tea antioxidant may work against breast cancer by suppressing blood vessel growth in breast tumors as well as slowing the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. The study was presented very recently at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference.