• Question: Does tea have anti cancer properties? What other foods do and how do they have them?

    Asked by to Aimee, Chris, Dave, Greig, Laurence on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Dave Jones

      Dave Jones answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Apparently so. Cancer is sometimes caused by chemicals called free radicals, most of the time these are harmless but sometimes the can cause cancer. Free radicals are any atom, molecule or ion that doesn’t have an even number of electrons. Because they don’t have all their electrons in pairs they can react with other important molecules in our cells and cause cancer. Tea contains chemicals called anti-oxidants which react with the free radicals before they can get near the important molecules in our cells, keeping them safe.

      Lots of other foods contain anti-oxidants too, like most fruits, garlic, nuts, even red wine! So, eating a healthy and balanced diet should provide all the anti-oxidants you need!

    • Photo: Laurence Perreault Levasseur

      Laurence Perreault Levasseur answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Yes! And mostly green tea! A lot of food have anti cancer properties, like Dave said, some because of their anti-oxidant properties (like BLUBERRIES!!! I LOVE blueberries!), some because they help some of your organs stay more healthy and function better. On top of my head I can think of broccoli (rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which is thought to help protect against colon cancer, and contains compounds called indoles and isothiocyanates that may help reduce inflammation and ward off DNA damage) or turmeric (slows/prevents cancer development) or garlic (apparently prevents cancer cells proliferation, but also helps with DNA damage, and also for men fertility) or whole grains food (fiber is very good for the digestive system and the colon).

      But the real trick is to have a diet that is very diversified, to eat lots of fruits and vegetable and a lot of different kinds. It’s also away good to drink lots of water (I know I don’t drink enough myself…!)!

    • Photo: Aimee Hopper

      Aimee Hopper answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      TEAAAA!!!!!

      Tea contains something called “antioxidants” which mop up waste products of our cells producing energy. These waste products can be damaging, and sometimes go on to cause a cell to become cancerous.
      However, normal black tea also contains a lot of caffine, which is not great for the body.
      Things like green tea, blueberries, and anything green and leafy are generally good sources of antioxidants 🙂

Comments