Green Tea protection against prostate cancer – new study

Drinking 6 cups of green tea a day seems to protect against prostate cancer.

Details to the study:

• 67 men were studied before their scheduled prostatectomy

• Researchers randomly assigned the men to either six cups of brewed green tea or water daily for three to eight weeks, depending on the timing of their surgery.

• PSA was significantly lower in the green tea group compared with baseline levels.

• Upon studying the prostate tissue after surgery, researchers noticed less PSA expression in men consuming green tea.

• Nuclear factor kappa B, an inflammatory marker known to contribute to prostate cancer, was significantly reduced in the group consuming green tea.

• Lastly, a urinary DNA marker for oxidative stress was significantly less in green tea drinkers versus those drinking purely water.

– Science Daily

My take on this and doggy bag message:

The protective effects of green tea on prostate cancer are not new.

A large prospective cohort study of 49,920 men aged 40–69 years and their green tea consumption habits was conducted by the Japan Public Health Centre between 1990 and 2004 indicating the protective effects of drinking 5 cups of green tea a day (Kurahashi et al 2008).

Another randomized trial looking at 60 patients with High Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (HGPIN) wanted to know if taking green tea extract supplement pills protected men from prostate cancer. About 30% of HGPIN cells become cancerous within 1 year after biopsy. After 1 year, only one tumor was diagnosed among the 30 green tea-treated men (incidence, ∼3%), whereas nine cancers were found among the 30 placebo-treated men (incidence of 30%). (Bettuzi et l 2006.)

There are over 200 published papers in the scientific literature indicating green tea’s protective properties against prostate cancer.

Bottom line: Green tea is protective against prostate cancer. Most studies prove that. Some physician’s are suggesting waiting for larger randomized trials before suggesting green tea consumption. That’s absurd. No need to wait. Rather than drinking plain water drink green tea-  about 5 to 6 cups a day. If 5 cups a day is not practical, consume green tea extract supplements or targeted supplement formulas that contain green tea extract.

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Reference:

Kurahashi N, Sasazuki S, Iwasaki M, Inoue M, Tsugane S. Green tea consumption and prostate cancer risk in Japanese men: a prospective study. Am J Epidemiol 2008; 167: 71–7

Bettuzzi S, Brausi M, Rizzi F, Castagnetti G, Peracchia G, Corti A. Chemoprevention of human prostate cancer by oral administration of green tea catechins in volunteers with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia: a preliminary report from a one-year proof-of-principle study. Cancer Res 2006; 66: 1234–40