Green Tea Leading the Fight Against Cancer

April 28, 2005 - Even with the growing awareness of routine early testing for prostate cancer, it continues to be one of the leading cancers we battle. It is a frustration for all of us in the medical community as we look to reduce the deadly effects of this silent killer. Fortunately, a new study shows that by just adding green tea supplements in the correct dosage and form can potentially reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 90%. I know of no drug or traditional therapy in medicine that can lower the risk of developing cancer by 90%.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in the United States. Approximately every three minutes in this country, another man will be diagnosed with prostate cancer; every eighteen minutes, a man will die from prostate cancer. For my male readers, the disconcerting news is that one out of six of you will be diagnosed with this condition. These are obviously scary numbers.

I know I don't need to tell you that the keys in our fight against this killer are early detection and reducing the risk. There has been much publicity and a concerted effort by the medical community to significantly increase routine prostate screening and testing. Naturally, early testing does nothing to prevent the onset of prostate cancer, but it could lower your chances that the disease will turn deadly. Yet even with the drastic increases in testing, there has not been a corresponding dramatic decrease in the death toll from prostate cancer. However, a recent study might shed some light on the frustrating limitations of early detection and provide us some exciting new hope.

Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is a pre-malignant form of prostate cancer. PIN has become an increasingly common finding noted at the time of prostate biopsy. The high-grade form of PIN is thought to be pre-cancerous. In fact, the incidence of high grade PIN on prostate biopsy can be up to 25%. The real frustration is that once detected, there was no real treatment for PIN. Now there is hope, because we've gotten some wonderful groundbreaking news!

A study was presented last week at the 96th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California. The study was performed by two Italian universities centering on an extract of green tea known as catechins. The study involved 62 men with a diagnosis of PIN. Thirty two men were given 600 mg a day of green tea catechins, whereas the remaining 30 men were given a placebo. At the end of the one year trial, only one out of the 32 treated with the green tea catechins went on to develop actual prostate cancer. Conversely, nine out of the 30 men given the placebo developed prostate cancer. Looking at the statistical aspects of this, green tea catechins decreased the likelihood of progression from pre-cancerous lesion to actual cancer by approximately 90%! The lead author of the study indicated that "To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that green tea catechins have potent in vivo chemo-prevention activity for human prostate cancer. There are other studies strongly suggesting that similar results from green tea could be obtained for prevention of other types of cancer. As a matter of fact, breast and colon cancer are possible targets. In the near future, we are supposed to start a collaborative trial involving both Italy and the United States on this matter." It should be noted that in order to consume 600 mg a day of green tea catechins, you would actually have to drink about twelve to fifteen cups of green tea daily. Fortunately there are several standardized green tea extracts available to you in supplement form that might even be better (which we'll discuss later).

Although this was a small study, it was an extremely powerful one. I know of no drug or traditional therapy in medicine that can lower the risk of developing prostate cancer by 90%.

It appears that the benefit of the green tea catechins relates to a particular chemical within the catechins known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The Italian study clearly indicated that EGCG targets prostate cancer cells specifically for elimination without damaging any normal tissue.

Supporting these findings, I recall reading another study published several years ago where researchers in Ohio added EGCG to a culture of cancer cells. As soon as the EGCG was added, the cancer stopped growing. So powerful was the result, that the lead author of the study became an avid green tea drinker thereafter.

So drinking tea is obviously beneficial for you, but it does require some time and effort. Many of us just don't have the time in our busy days, or perhaps the facilities in our workplace, to consistently prepare fresh tea. Additionally, while the exercise is always beneficial, getting up to walk to the bathroom on a regular basis throughout the day can make the practice of drinking 12-15 cups of green tea tough to incorporate into our lifestyles.

Fortunately for those of us that can't enjoy consuming the necessary cups of green tea per day, we have standardized supplemental green tea extracts at our disposal. They have the beneficial ECGC, but more importantly, they also appear to provide some additional benefits over drinking the actual tea. Keep in mind the study we just discussed was done with standardized green tea supplements, not brewed green tea. In a study published last December in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a study was performed to compare the pharmokinetic disposition of tea catechins and their effect on antioxidant capacity eight hours after consumption. Healthy subjects consumed either green tea, black tea or green tea extract supplement. It was found that flavanol absorption was enhanced in the tea catechins that were administered as green tea supplement in capsule form. They showed a small but significant increase in plasma antioxidant activity when compared to the other groups that drank the actual black or green tea.

ECGC is clearly a powerful antioxidant. The mechanism by which it works against cancer, however, is not entirely certain. There were two laboratory studies just published in the journals Clinical Cancer Research and Frontiers of Bio-Science in April and May 2005. In one study, it was found that EGCG appeared to have a synergistic effect on inhibiting the growth of cancer cells by inducing premature death of the cells-known as apoptosis. Additional research published in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology last month indicated that nutraceuticals such as EGCG may play a role as anti-angiogenic (inhibiting formation of new blood vessels) agents. There is a theory that cancer develops because of this abnormal formation of blood vessels, causing the growth and spread of cancer. Green tea catechins appear to inhibit excessive angiogenesis. There are other nutrients in this category, including turmeric (curcumin) and red wine polyphenols.

We at Nutraceutical Sciences Institute (NSI) have recognized the power of these particular nutrients for many years. Most of our Synergy multi-vitamin products contain green tea extract standardized to polyphenols, catechins and EGCG. This provides for many times the level of active ingredients when compared to non-standardized supplements. Many of our Synergy products also contain grape seed extract and curcumin. For those of you who are looking for higher doses of green tea extract, we sell a stand-alone product containing either 250 mg or 500 mg of highly potent, standardized green tea extract. WARNING: Non standardized green tea many others sell may contain little to zero EGCG, particularly if they do not list the EGCG content on the supplement facts label! We also sell a powerful combination of standardized grape seed, green tea and red wine extracts, again all standardized to the highest possible levels. These nutrients are so powerful and beneficial, that I strongly recommend you add them to your daily regimen. For the average person with no risk factors, consuming one of the several versions of NSI Synergy multi-vitamins with green tea (along with brewed green tea consumption) is a great foundation for good health. If you have prostate risk factors or other health concerns green tea may benefit, I would recommend that you add 500 - 1,000 mg per day of the NSI standardized green tea. For more information on green tea, visit our science section.

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