Green tea may slow progression of prostate cancer
June 19th, 2009 Posted in alternative treatments, prostate cancerAccording to a small study at the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, active compounds in green tea might slow the progression of prostate cancer.
The men included in the study took four capsules a day of an investigational agent called Polyphenon E, an amount equivalent to about 12 cups of normally brewed, concentrated green tea. All men involved had prostate cancer and were scheduled for radical prostatectomy. They took the capsules for 12 to 73 days, with a median time of 34.5 days, but stopped the day before surgery.
Researchers found “significant” reductions in the men’s serum levels of markers predictive of prostate cancer progression, including hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and prostate specific antigen. They mentioned that reductions in levels of these markers were greater than 30 percent. There were few reported side effects but the men’s liver function remained normal.
The findings are reported in Cancer Prevention Research.