Green tea provides impressive benefits for the prostate

The study reviewed here examined the effects of short term supplementation with the active compounds in green tea on serum bio markers in patients with prostate cancer (McLarty J, et al. 2009).

Participants with positive prostate biopsies scheduled for radical prostatectomy were given 1.3 g of green tea polyphenols containing 800 mg of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and lesser amounts of epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin-3-gallate. The participants were tested for several biomarkers including prostate specific antigen (PSA) before starting the supplementation and on the day of prostatectomy. Liver function tests were also performed to monitor toxicity, and they showed a decrease.

The results showed a significant reduction of three of the biomarkers, one of them was PSA, and it was concluded that the findings support a potential role of the green tea extract polyphenol in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.

If you like hot beverages, green tea would be a good choice not only for men, but for women as well. Also, in the summer you can drink it cold if you want to cool down.

Reference:

McLarty J. et al, 2009. Tea Polyphenols Decrease Serum Levels of Prostate Specific Antigen, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In Vitro. Cancer Prev Res. 2009 Jun 19.