by Jesse Cannone –
Post Rehab Specialist
Doctor accidentally discovers why cartilage deteriorates (and how to stop it… using secret hidden in a proven cancer & heart treatment).
Recommends 4 cups a day of popular Asian drink to reduce risk of arthritis
This story didn’t get much press.
But, over 10 years ago a doctor had a hunch that a proven therapy for cancer and heart disease could work wonders for people with arthritis too.
He went about testing his hypothesis…
And on April 2005 he presented his findings to the National Academy of Sciences. When he tested his theory on mice (which is standard procedure) NONE developed severe arthritis! In fact, over 55 percent of the mice got NO arthritis whatsoever!
He tested his theory again not once, but twice. And came up with the same results.
An independent follow up study discovered why his hunch saves joints. It turns out this…
Stops cell suicide!
You see, cells called human articular chondrocytes rebuild worn away cartilage inside your joints. But – for reasons that are not yet completely clear – sometimes these cells self destruct.
This name for this process is apoptosis.
When this happens, your body cannot fix normal, everyday, wear and tear to your joints… and as a result… you develop arthritis.
However, when given this treatment, human articular chondrocytes did NOT commit apoptosis… and therefore… continued to rebuild cartilage… and joints healed (instead of slowly breaking down).
What protects the joints
And it’s all thanks to a type of compound called polyphenols.
These occur naturally in plants and are powerful antioxidants… even more powerful than Vitamin C.
In addition to stopping cell suicide, they protect your body from oxidative stress caused by inflammation (which is another reason why the doctor believed it would help arthritis sufferers as it did for the people suffering from cancer and heart disease… inflammation lies at the core of all three… and inflammation inside joints is one of the top 5 reasons arthritis occurs in the first place).
The specific type of polyphenol the cancer doctor found effective in combating arthritis is something called Epigallocatechin Gallate.
It’s also known as ECGC and is the main antioxidant found in green tea.
4 Cups a Day Reduces Arthritis Aches
Early experiments proved just how effective EGCG is against arthritis.
In the paper, “Prevention of Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice by a Polyphenolic Fraction of Green Tea” Dr. Hasan Mukhtar shared the results of green tea extract given to mice. Out of the 18 mice given green tea extract, 10 never developed any arthritic symptoms and the remaining eight had a much milder form of arthritis than normal.
The dose was equivalent to drinking 4 cups of green tea a day.
The results are so intriguing, human trials are currently underway. Nobody has shown any form of toxicity associated with tea.
For this reason, Dr. Mukhtar (and lead author of the paper, Dr. Tariq M. Haqqi) recommend anyone concerned about arthritis drink 4 cups of green tea a day.
However, it’s important to note green tea only stops the deterioration of joints. It DOES NOT heal you if you are already arthritic.
