The prostate is a walnut-size gland that produces a liquid that makes up a part of seminal fluid. Symptoms of prostate problems include trouble urinating, bone pain and blood in semen. The worst of prostate conditions is prostate cancer, which normally grows slowly. Research indicates that green tea contains active compounds that might slow the growth of prostate cancer.
Green Tea Polyphenols
Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant and undergoes the least amount of processing of all teas. As a result, green tea contains a high concentration of antioxidants called polyphenols, which help destroy free radicals that damage and alter cells. Green tea polyphenols might also improve prostate health.
Mechanism
Scientists from the Universite de Toulouse in France studied the mechanism behind green tea's ability to halt prostate cancer growth. In the report, which was published in the June 2010 issue of the "FASEB Journal," lead author Leyre Brizuela and colleagues discovered that green tea polyphenols disrupt a signaling pathway that is necessary for prostate cancer growth. Although these findings are promising, further research is needed, especially in humans.
EGCG
The green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, combined with COX-2 inhibitors might slow the growth of prostate cancer, according to a study conducted by lead author Dr. Hasan Mukhtar and colleagues from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Scientists discovered that low doses of COX-2, which has been shown to suppress prostate cancer in animals, combined with EGCG slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells by suppressing cancer-promoting proteins. Scientists reported their findings in the March 2007 issue of the journal "Clinical Cancer Research."
Polyphenon E
In another study reported in the June 2009 issue of "Cancer Prevention Research," lead investigator Dr. James Cardelli and researchers from Louisiana State University examined the impact of the green tea compound Polyphenon E on men with prostate cancer. Patients received four capsules of Polyphenon E, or the equivalent of 12 cups of green tea, for 35 days. At the end of the study, participants experienced significant decreases in HGF, VEGF and PSA, all markers that predict prostate cancer progression.
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