Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, (EGCG) is a compound found in many foods. EGCG is a catechin – a particular type of flavonoid most often found in tea, cocoa, and berries.
Some of its most commonly studied properties are anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. It is also well known for heart health such as reducing LDL, “the bad cholesterol”, reducing blood pressure, and reducing inflammatory markers like tumor necrosis factor α and C-reactive protein. It can also help with neurological issues, lower blood sugar, and can help with weight loss.
Another major benefit of EGCG is its effect on cancer tumors. EGCG shows inhibitory activities of catechins against various tumorigenesis and their suppressive effects on cancer cell progression, metastasis, and angiogenesis.1
Curcumin (an extract from turmeric) was supposed to be a potent inhibitor of STAT3, which is a transcription factor, which has a role in tumorigenesis of many human malignancies. However, the poor absorption of curcumin restricts its clinical application. Recent studies show that curcumin and EGCG had synergistic activity with other drugs. The approach of combination therapy has been shown to achieve higher therapeutic efficacy with lower drug dosage and reduce drug resistance development. So it is suspected that the combination of curcumin and EGCG might produce a better anti-carcinoma effect.2 At Holistique we have a great combination of these two extracts called EGCG Curcumin.
Lastly, about 70% of women in their reproductive years can greatly be affected by painful uterine fibroids and it can affect their day-to-day life.
Currently, effective medical treatments are either invasive, expensive, or poorly tolerated for women who suffer with the symptoms of fibroids.3,4 Studies show that EGCG taken daily can greatly reduce the size of fibroids and increase the quality of daily living.
If you would like more information on how EGCG could benefit you, consult with your healthcare provider.
To your health, Dr. Zimmerman
REFERENCES:
1 ZheCheng, et al. A review on anti-cancer effect of green tea catechins. doi.org/j.jff.2020.104172
2 G Jin, et al. Combination curcumin and (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits colorectal carcinoma microenvironment-induced angiogenesis by JAK/STAT3/IL-8 pathway
3 Al-Hendy A, Salama S. Gene therapy and uterine leiomyoma: a review. Hum Reprod Update. 2006; 12:385-400.
4 Zhang D, Al-Hendy M, Richard-Davis G, Montgomery-Rice V, Rajaratnam V, Al-Hendy A. Antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of epigallocatechin gallate on human leiomyoma cells. Fertil Steril. 2010;94:1887-1893.
