Tea has been found to be loaded with natural anti-oxidants that gobble up free radicals, ionized atoms or molecules, that damage cells and triggering cascading diseases, such as cancers. Tea contains 2 to 3 times less caffeine than does coffee. With mice designed to carry a gene known to cause human lymphoma cancer scientists believe they've discovered something about the gene gives the cancer cells other 'abnormal' proteins, ones not normally present, which can 'fool' the body's immune system into thinking the cancer cell is a normal healthy cell. Lymphocytes are immune system cells that protect us from infections. They are also front line in rejecting transplants, and are what cause rheumatoid arthritis, etc, and play a big part in diabetes.
Lymphocytes make a molecule called granzyme B which enters a perceived enemy cell to kill it.
Recently, it's been discovered that most cells produce a 'receptor protein molecule' that the lymphocytes can 'key' to, and be drawn inside the cell to do it's killing job. This protein is missing or barely detectable in most cancer cells. The goal now is to get the cancer cells to boost production of the 'keyhole' protein. Our own immune systems will fry those cancer cell suckers. Research has just begun this year, but, hopes are extremely high.