News: Study finds tea extract that shrinks tumours

There’s even more reason to love my favourite cup of tea now.

Scientists have discovered a chemical in green tea that can successfully treat two types of skin cancer.

Researchers at the universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow conducted tests on two types of skin cancer: epidermoid carcinoma and melanoma. While the chemical extract, known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is not effective when consumed, it can shrink or remove two-thirds of tumours when delivered through a "targeted delivery system." The delivery method involved "piggybacking the extract on proteins that carry iron molecules," reports The Daily Telegraph. Tumours then absorb the iron molecules carrying the extract. Previous methods such as intravenous delivery were not effective because the extract is too diluted by the time it reaches the tumours.

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