Men who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer can reduce their chances dramatically by drinking green tea every day. Catechins, compounds found in the tea, block cancer cell growth and stop it spreading, say researchers from the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Centre.
They tested the tea on a group of 97 men who were at high risk of developing prostate cancer because of abnormal cell activity. Forty-nine of the men were given decaffeinated green tea capsules, called Polyphenon E, and 48 were instead given a placebo, or sugar pill. After a year, those given the green tea capsules had fewer lesions than those given the placebo, and their PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels had also dropped. PSA is the standard bio-marker for prostate cancer.
The researchers point out that 20 per cent of green tea is drunk in Asian countries where prostate cancer deaths are among the lowest in the world.
(Source: Proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, Chicago, May 26, 2015)
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