Researchers have discovered a possible explanation for how green tea may fight pancreatic cancer.

Green tea has long been tied to potential cancer treatments, as well as a remedy for a host of other ailments. However, until now, scientists have been unable to explain exactly how green tea and its extracts can help reduce the risk of cancer.

A new study reports that EGCG – the active biologic constituent in green tea – altered the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells by repressing the expression of LDHA, an enzyme that is linked to cancer. The scientists also discovered oxalate, an enzyme inhibitor that is known to lower the activity of LDHA. It also disturbed the metabolic system of pancreatic cancer cells.

Wai-Nang Lee, MD, corresponding author of the study and a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) lead researcher, believes that identifying how the active component in green tea may prevent cancer can open the door to a whole new realm of cancer research, thereby helping scientists understand how other types of foods can prevent and/or slow the growth of different types of cancer.

“This is an entirely new way of looking at metabolism. It is no longer a case of glucose goes in and energy comes out. Now we understand how cancer cell metabolism can be disrupted, and we can examine how we can use this knowledge to try to alter the course of cancer or prevent cancer,” said Dr. Lee in a statement.

The findings of the study are published online in the journal Metabolomics.