Green Tea Extracts Halt Growth of Prostate Cancer Tumors

Friday, February 05, 2010 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) An extract made from one of the main antioxidants found in green tea may be able to slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Louisiana state University and published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Researchers gave 26 prostate cancer patients between the ages of 41 and 68's four capsules of day of Polyphenon E, an extract of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) made by Polyphenon Pharma. EGCG is a powerful antioxidant to which many of the health benefits of green tea have been attributed. The dosage given to the participants in the study was equivalent to that acquired from drinking 12 cups of green tea per day.

After 12 weeks, the researchers found that levels of the prostate cancer markers Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) had fallen by an average of 18.9 percent, 9.9 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively, indicating a slowed progression of the disease.

PSA is a marker of inflammation, and indicates disease severity in prostate cancer patients. HGF and VEGF are both produced by prostate tumors as they spread to other parts of the body.

In some patients, HGF and VEGF levels fell as much as 30 percent upon treatment with the EGCG extract.

The researchers were cautiously optimistic about the study findings.

"It's still in an early stage," researcher Jim Cardelli said. "Green tea can keep cancer from growing very fast, but it may not be able to shrink tumors. But it can be a good addition to traditional therapies, like chemo (chemotherapy) or radiation."

Researchers do not know whether the same effects could be seen in other cancers, but the antioxidants in green tea have previously been linked to a reduced risk of a variety of cancers, skin and autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/028099_green_tea_prostate_cancer.html.

Green tea cuts depression in elderly

Drinking four or more cups of green tea on a regular basis lowers the risk of developing depression among elderly men and women, a new study finds.

Previous studies had linked the consumption of green tea to various health benefits including reduced psychological distress.

According to the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking green tea lowers the risk of depression in men and women aged over 70 by 44 percent.

Black and oolong tea or coffee, however, was not effective in reducing depressive symptoms in these individuals.

Theanine, an amino acid commonly found in green tea, accounts for the tranquilizing effects of the tea on the brain, the study suggests.

Further studies are needed before scientists can urge seniors to drink more green tea to ward off depressive symptoms.

New research from Japan: Green tea fights blood and liver cancer, as well as pneumonia

(NaturalNews) Three new studies by Japanese scientists add even more evidence to what already is an astounding mountain of data showing green tea protects and heals the human body. All of the research is based on findings from the huge Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study in Japan which involved 41,761 Japanese adults between 40 and 79 years of age. None of the research subjects had a history of cancer when the study started and their diets, along with other lifestyle factors and any health problems they developed, were followed for about ten years.

In a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Toru Naganuma of Tohoku University School of Medicine in Senda and colleagues reported that drinking at least five daily cups of green tea was found to slash the risk of blood cancers by 42% and lymph system cancers by 48%. What's more, these enormous reductions in cancer were consistent in both men and women and in people with various body mass sizes.

While Dr. Naganuma was looking at blood and lymph cancer rates, another research team in the Division of Epidemiology in Tohoku University's Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine was also searching the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study and they discovered yet another link between green tea and cancer prevention. Their study, published in the September issue of the journal Cancer Causes and Control found that green tea consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of liver cancer. The study documented that the more green tea consumed, the more the risk plummeted -- five cups or more offered the most protection from liver malignancies.

Yet another study of the Ohsaki data by scientists at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, published in the September edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a strong link between drinking green tea and protection against pneumonia in women. The researchers noted in their paper that experimental and animal studies have previously shown that catechins, antioxidant phytochemicals found abundantly in green tea, are active against infectious agents -- so that could be a possible explanation for green tea's apparent pneumonia-fighting ability.

They excluded any research participants who were missing information on their green tea consumption or who had reported a history of cancer, heart attack or stroke. In all, the scientists followed the research subjects' health for over 12 years. The results showed, at least for women, a dramatic reduction in the risk of pneumonia for green tea drinkers. Once again, drinking five or more cups a day appeared to offer the most benefit.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/027379_green_tea_cancer_blood.html.