Green tea lowers prostate cancer risk

Drinking green tea may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer. Green tea is a herb (Camellia sinensis), which is unfermented tea that is immediately heated (or steamed) to kill the fermentation enzymes. Naturally low in caffeine, the brew is very light in colour. It has no specific Indian name, but is sometimes known as herbal tea. It is a powerful antioxidant and said to prevent cancer. Green tea is mainly grown in China and Japan, and finds high consumption among Asian men. This could be one of the reasons why prostate cancer is much less common among Asian men than Western men. To study the association further, researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center compiled data from nearly 50,000 men aged 40-69 years over a period of up to 14 years from 1990. The participants completed questionnaires at the outset to identify their dietary intakes, including their habitual green tea consumption. While no association was found between green tea intake and localised prostate cancer, a protective effect was found for advanced prostate cancer. Men who drank five or more cups a day reduced the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer by almost 50 per cent compared with those who drank less than one cup a day. However, this does not mean that people who drink green tea are guaranteed to have reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer. Also, further studies are needed to confirm the preventive effects of green tea on prostate cancer, including well-designed clinical trials.