Originally published June 9 2005
Men can turn to green tea to defend against prostate cancer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Saverio Bettuzzi, a biochemist at the University of Parma in Italy, and his colleagues recently studied 62 men with abnormal prostate cells (which can turn to full-blown cancer within a year) who were randomly assigned to take inactive tablets or tablets containing 200 milligrams of green tea catechins three times daily. After a year, only one case of prostate cancer was diagnosed in the green tea group, whereas the control group had nine cases. The daily dosage of 600 milligrams is equivalent to drinking approximately 20 cups of green tea a day.
Men at high risk for developing prostate cancer may keep the disease away by taking supplements containing green-tea ingredients called catechins.
These substances are natural plant antioxidants that have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in laboratory studies.
"We wanted to conduct a clinical trial to find out whether catechins could prevent cancer in men.
The answer clearly is yes," Saverio Bettuzzi, a biochemist at the University of Parma in Italy, says in a statement.
Bettuzzi and his coworkers studied 62 men with abnormal prostate cells that normally develop into full-blown cancer within one year in nearly a third of cases.
The men had not received previous treatment, nor did they consume additional green tea products or take antioxidants.
They were randomly assigned to take inactive tablets or tablets containing 200 milligrams of green tea catechins three times daily.
During the following year, only one case of prostate cancer was diagnosed among men taking green tea catechins, for an incidence rate of three per cent.
In contrast, nine cases (30 per cent) were found in the comparison group.
The 600-milligram daily dosage of green tea catechins given to men in the study is up to twice the amount typically consumed in China, where 10 cups a day is normal.
"We still don't know enough about the biological processes leading to prostate cancer," Bettuzzi says.
"Although our followup will continue for up to five years, a large, confirmatory study is needed.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml