The scientific team at Salford University, led by Professor Michael Lisanti, discovered that Matcha Green tea can halt the growth of breast cancer stem cells, shifting cancer cells towards a ‘quiescent metabolic state’ and ‘completely stopped their propagation at a relatively low concentration (0.2 mg/ml).

The high grade Japanese Matcha tea used for the study was supplied by OMGTea and its founder, Katherine Swift. Katherine has been dedicated to supporting research for the disease which affects one in eight women in the UK*, and founded the charity Healthy Life Foundation to raise funds to support ground-breaking research into age related diseases.

“Katherine was the driving force behind this study and donated the necessary product for testing,” said Michael Lisanti, Professor of Translational Medicine at Salford University. “I have always been interested in natural products for cancer prevention and/or treatment so to finally have this positive research which confirms the effects of Matcha green tea on breast cancer stem cells is a very important first step forward.”

The study found that Matcha Green tea strongly affected mTOR signals, weakening components of the 40S ribosome, which raises the possibility that Matcha tea could be used in place of chemical drugs such as rapamycin in the treatment of breast cancer.

“By using metabolic phenotyping, we found that the tea is suppressing oxidative mitochondrial metabolism, in other words it is preventing the cells from ‘fuelling’ and forcing them to become inactive and die,” explained Professor Lisanti. 

Although the tests were limited to cell lines, the effects were described as ‘striking’; and having a “surgical effect” in knocking out certain signalling pathways. “I am so thrilled with the results of this study and feel that finally we are going some small way to proving the potential healthful and curative effect this beautiful green powder could have,” said Katherine.

“I am committed to spreading the word about the health benefits of organic Matcha Green Tea and started my company to primarily supply the highest grade Matcha to consumers in the UK and that is a very important legacy for me,” she concluded.

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