Prostate Cancer Prevention Research
Green Tea Studies

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series.

Prostate cancer prevention research studies

Prostate cancer prevention is the hot new area of prostate cancer research. Prostate cancer can take decades to develop and that presents a unique opportunity for men to learn more prostate cancer prevention strategies.

Several areas of research include lifestyle changes, dietary changes, and daily green tea.

Green tea shows powerful results

Two studies in prostate cancer prevention research show powerful prevention of prostate cancer with daily green tea.

In one study, researchers from Australia studied prostate cancer patients in Hangzhou, China. In a hospital-based case-control study, they found that green tea prevented at least 72% of prostate cancer, after adjusting for age, location, education, income, exercise, BMI, alcohol, smoking, dietary fat, marital status, children, vasectomy, and family history of prostate cancer.

An extensive questionnaire revealed several subsets of green tea drinkers showing more protection with increased usage:

• Drinking more than 3 cups daily provided 73% prevention
• Drinking green tea for more than 40 years provided 82% prevention
• Using more than 3 pounds loose green tea leaf annually prevented 91% of prostate cancer (Jian, 2004)

Another prostate cancer prevention study from Italy studied high-risk men who had already tested positive for high grade PIN (prostate intraepithelial neoplasia) from a biopsy.

For one year, half the volunteers received 3 capsules green tea daily and the other half received placebo.

At the end of the year, only one man in the green tea group had developed a tumor compared to nine men with tumors in the placebo group. The results were statistically significant and showed 90% prevention of prostate cancer in high-risk men. (Bettuzzi, 2006)

Both studies showed no side effects with daily green tea.

An easy lifestyle addition

While green tea and other dietary changes like a low-fat diet are still considered a prostate cancer alternative, prostate cancer prevention research on green tea is strong.

Almost 80 studies show that green tea prevents prostate cancer through various mechanisms including apoptosis (cancer cell death), preventing cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis, preventing cancer cell adhesion, inhibiting COX-2 in hormone prostate cancer, protecting DNA, protecting normal cells, preventing inflammation, relieving urinary tract symptoms, and relieving benign prostate hyperplasia. Please note: green tea has not been shown to be effective in any terminal-stage cancer.

Adding daily green tea is a safe and inexpensive lifestyle addition for most men, but you should always discuss lifestyle changes with your health care provider.

All men should take advantage of regular prostate cancer testing.

If you are in a high risk group, such as African-American men who have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world, are over age 55, or have a relative with prostate cancer, regular checkups can save your life.





Related articles:

Return to Part 1--Prostate Cancer Prevention and Green Tea: HG-PIN

Continue to Part 3--Prostate Cancer Research on Green Tea and Soybean Intake

Return from Prostate Cancer Prevention Research to Green Tea Health News Home

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