Green Tea Extract found to have Potential Benefit in Prostate Cancer Prevention.

A study conducted by Italian researchers from the Universities of Parma and Modena (Italy) and presented to the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in April in Anaheim, found that green tea extract inhibited the development of prostate cancer in men with prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Intraepithelial neoplasia is a high-grade prostatic premalignant lesion that presages invasive prostate cancer within one year in nearly one-third of cases. After one year taking green tea catechins (GTCs), only one of 32 men in the test group were diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared to nine out of 30 in the control group.

Study subjects were 62 men between 45 and 75 years of age who had been diagnosed with prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and for which no treatment had been given. Vegetarians, men consuming green tea or derived products, or those taking anti-oxidants or receiving anti-androgenic therapy were excluded. The randomly selected test group received three tablet daily containing 200 mg of green tea catechins (GTCs) with 50 % epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Control group subjects received a placebo. Follow-up biopsies were conducted after six months and again at one year.

Researchers suggested that the EGCG in GTCs facilitated prostate cancer cell death, a process known as apoptosis. They identified a gene involved in prostate apoptosis known as Clusterin and hypothesized that EGCG induces death in cancer cells but not normal cells by inducing Clusterin expression.

Previous studies had demonstrated that green tea catechins, or pure EGCG inhibited cancer cell growth in laboratory models and that use of green tea extract resulted in no significant side effects or adverse reactions and is safe for human use. The 30% rate of incidence of prostate cancer in the control group was consistent with previous findings. Researchers stated that the current study demonstrated that catechins can prevent the progression of prostate cancer and suggested using green tea as a prophylactic against prostate cancer in men in high risk groups such as the elderly, African-Americans, and those with a family history of prostate cancer. Bio-Design Green Tea Extract provides 100 mg of green tea extract standardized to a minimum of 40% catechins, in a base of grape skin extract.