EGCG is supposed to be the active compound that is responsible for antioxidant properties of green tea and possibly fat burning properties. In Chinese medicine, EGCG is used to manage hormone levels with treatment for benign prostate hyperplasia to acne. EGCG may prove to be beneficial for many conditions for men and women.
*Androgenic Action : EGCG activity inside your body can inhibit dihydrotestosterone or DHT activity. DHT plays a role in testosterone activity in the body. As you age, your testosterone production and activity decrease, but DHT, a byproduct of testosterone, levels and action increase with age. DHT activity has been associated with balding, increased prostate gland size and for women the development of male sex characteristics. The gallate part of EGCG provides an inhibition to DHT activity in the body and can help reduce DHT activity in the body by binding to DHT receptors in your body, according to S. Liao in “The Medicinal Action of Androgens and Green Tea Epigallocatechin Gallate.”
*Cancer :
**Protection : EGCG may work to prevent cancer at the cellular level. According to Julius Goepp, M.D. with Life Extension Magazine, EGCG works to prevent cancer by intervening with cellular action and growth. People who drink green tea have less frequent episodes of cancer and when cancer is present, it is less severe than persons who don’t consume green tea. Dr. Goepp also adds EGCG can be useful for preventing or lessening the severity of breast, prostate, mouth, pancreas and colon cancers because of the protective action of EGCG. High green tea consumption with Asian cultures could be the “paradox” reasoning for Asians to have low cancer rates, despite certain behaviors, such as smoking is common, but they have lower heart disease and cancer rates than Americans who smoke.
** EGCG is confirmed to be a cancer stem cell killer. Cancer stem cells are largely responsible for the failure of conventional cancer treatment.