(RxWiki News) Green tea is loaded with antioxidants that may help cancer prevention. Many studies have been inconclusive, but new research shows possible benefits for prostate cancer patients.
Research has shown that the antioxidants help neutralize unstable atoms or molecules in the body that cause cell damage.
The National Cancer Institute reports that antioxidants in green tea have been found to inhibit cancer in animals, but results from human tests have been questionable.
Scientists recently reported that prostate cancer patients who drank several cups of green tea daily for weeks prior to surgery had reductions in markers that indicate inflammation. Inflammation has been related to prostate cancer growth.
"Try some green tea during the day."
Susanne M. Henning, PhD, adjunct professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, and her fellow researchers examined the effects of green tea consumption among a group of 67 men with prostate cancer who were scheduled to undergo prostate surgery.
The men were separated into two groups—one group drinking six cups of brewed green tea daily for 3-8 weeks and the other drinking the same amount of water.
For the men who had consumed green tea, the prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations were lower in the blood and in prostate tissue.
PSA is often elevated in cases of prostate cancer.
Also, a marker associated with inflammation (called nuclear factor kappa B) was significantly lower in men who drank the tea compared to the control group.
In addition, a urinary marker of oxidative DNA damage was much lower in the green tea men.
No differences were noted in markers of tumor cell proliferation between the two groups.
“The presentation underscores that dietary intervention can impact markers of inflammation in prostate cancer,” E. David Crawford, MD, professor of surgery, urology, and radiation oncology, and head of the Section of Urologic Oncology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, told dailyRx News.
An abstract of the study was presented on October 18 at the 11th Annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Anaheim, California.
