Green tea has been consumed in Asia since ancient times. Many health benefits that may be studied in green tea containing a compound are called polyphenols.
Polyphenols are a large group of plant chemicals including catechins (antioxidants that help protect cells from free radical damage). This catechin is the largest element of green tea polyphenols.
Catechins of green tea include:
- Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
- Epicatechin (EC).
- Epigallocatechin (EGC).
- Epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG).
EGCC is the most active catechin in green tea that has been widely studied. Laboratory research, animal studies, and early-stage clinical trials have found that EGCG may be very active in blocking pathways involving prostate cancer cell growth.
To make green tea, tea leaves are baked in a frying pan (or, historically, steamed) to preserve catechins and maintain freshness.
The black green tea is made using a process that causes catechin and other compounds in the leaf to oxidize, producing darker colored teas.
The benefits of green tea for the treatment of prostate cancer
The study of green tea in a laboratory has shown the following:
- EGCG in green tea blocks the stimulation of androgen effects (male hormone) on prostate tumor cells, slows the spread of mestatasis, and increases cell death.
- Green tea polyphenols can cause anticancer effects by blocking histone deacetylases (HDAC) that are found in large numbers in prostate cancer cells. Green tea polyphenols decrease HDAC activity and cause cell death.
A population study was conducted to look for risk factors and ways to control disease in a large group of people.
A review of many joint study populations, primarily from Asia, suggests mixed findings about whether green tea has a protective effect or not on the risk of prostate cancer.
Overall, population studies show that green tea may help protect against prostate cancer in Asian populations.
Clinical trials of green tea in preventing prostate cancer
In two randomized clinical trials in men with high prostatic intraepithelial neoplasms (HGPIN), those treated with green tea catechins had lower rates of prostate cancer than those who were treated with controls. The findings suggest that green tea catechins may lower the risk of prostate cancer in high-risk patients for the disease.
Clinical trials of green tea in treating prostate cancer
Clinical trials designed to study whether green tea can treat prostate cancer have shown the following:
Patients are scheduled to undergo radical prostatectomy assigned to drink green tea, black tea, or soda five times / day for 5 days.
In this study, only people drinking green tea showed a decrease in PSA levels.
Side effects of green tea
The most frequently reported side effects allegedly related to the use of green tea include headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, and weakness.
One study found that the most frequently reported adverse effects of green tea were gastrointestinal symptoms.
Gastrointestinal side effects are usually mild, occurring most often in patients who take on an empty stomach and at certain high doses.
There are reports of the use of green tea that is associated with some cases of liver damage. Most of those affected are women when they want to lose weight.
Most patients recover within 4 months after stopping consuming green tea extract.
There is one case report of acute liver failure in women who then needs a liver transplant.
The doctor concluded that their condition was probably caused by over-the-counter green tea capsule extract to lose weight.
