Some Scary Statistics...
- Prostate Cancer accounts for 3.8% of male deaths in New Zealand (555 in 1999 - [ref.2]).
- 230,000 American men are diagnosed with this disease each year(1)
- More than 60%
of all new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in men over the age of 70 years(4).
The Blood Test is of limited Usefulness...
There is considerable controversy over the benefits of the blood PSA (prostate specific antigen) screening test,
with the ratio of benefit (successful treatment of life threatening cancer) to risk
(damage caused by further investigation and treatment) not looking particularly encouraging.
Since we cannot rely on screening tests for early detection, perhaps there are other strategies?
The Green Tea and Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Presentation
(April 20th Annual Meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research, Anaheim, California).
Said study author associate professor Saverio Bettuzzi:-
"To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that green tea catechins
(GTC) have potent in vivo chemo-prevention activity for human prostate cancer,"
(Saverio Bettuzzi is associate professor of biochemistry at the
School of Medicine of the University of Parma, Italy).
600 mg of Standardised Green Tea Extract...
This study measured the effects of a one year green tea supplementation trial on 32 men with "PIN"
(Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia), which is a pre-malignant from of prostate cancer. There were
30 none supplemented men in the control group.
At the end of the one year trial, only one of the 32 men treated with green tea catechins went on to develop actual
cancer. Conversely, 9 of the 30 men given placebo developed prostate cancer.
Thus, in this trail, it appears that the green tea catechins decreased the likelihood of progression of
prostate cancer by 90%! Although this was a small study, it was extremely convincing.
Professor Bettuzzi went on to say:-
"There are other studies strongly suggesting that similar results from green tea
could be obtained for prevention of other types of cancer. As a matter of fact,
breast and colon cancer are
possible targets. In the near future, we are supposed to start a collaborative
trial involving both Italy and the United States on this matter".
Keep in mind that the above study used standardized green tea
catechins (600 mgs per day), not just brewed green tea. You would have to drink
twelve or more cups of green tea to equal that dose(4).
It appears that the benefit of the green tea catechins relates to a particular chemical
within the catechins known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
The Italian study clearly demonstrated that EGCG targets prostate cancer cells
specifically for elimination without damaging normal tissue.
More about the Green Tea Polyphenols...
Green tea or a lipid-extract obtained from green tea leaves has multiple
pharmacologic actions(3). Green and black tea are derived from the same plant,
Camellia sinensis. However, only green tea is rich in the flavonol group of
polyphenols known as catechins. The fermentation process used in making black
tea destroys the biologically active polyphenols of the fresh leaf. The catechins
as a chemical group have significant free-radical scavenging properties and are
potent antioxidants. The four catechins that are found in green tea leaves include:
- Epicatechin (EC)
- Epigallocatechin (EGC)
- Epicatechin gallate (ECG)
- Epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG)
As just stated, green tea is a recognised powerful anti-oxidant. The
above quoted cancer fighting effect is however still not widely known.
More information about anti-cancer research and the catechins in green
tea may be found by following the links listed below:-
- Serena Gordon: Green Tea Prevents Prostate Cancer in High-Risk Men
- Prostate Cancer
Question and Answer
- Prostate
Cancer Research Institute: Green Tea & its Extracts.
- Reach for Life Members Newsletter, May 2005 (PO BOX 68-047 Newton, Auckland, New Zealand).
- Search:
green tea catechins cancer
Postscript:
Green Tea for HIV
AT least in the laboratory dish, the green tea catechin Epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG)
binds to the CD4 receptor of T-cells, which blocks the HIV virus from its primary attachment site. Investigators found that EGCG bonded with 80 percent of the CD4 receptors in five minutes, and the remainder by 30 minutes. (The researchers warn that drinking a few cups of tea before contact with the virus probably would not provide enough EGCG to make you immune to HIV infection)!
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, November 2003, Vol. 112, No. 5
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Green Tea and Prostate Cancer Disease
© Bruce Thomson, EasyVigour Project
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