Green tea may slow prostate ca progression

Men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression, according to a study in Cancer Prevention Research (online June 19, 2009). In their open-label, single-arm, phase II clinical trial, James A. Cardelli, PhD, and colleagues determined the effects of green tea’s active compounds on serum biomarkers, including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), VEGF, and PSA.

After consuming what amounts to 12 cups of green tea daily for anywhere from 12 to 73 days, HGF, VEGF, and PSA serum levels fell by more than 30% in some patients, according to the authors who are based at Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.