Green Tea May Slow Down Prostate Cancer

Hi there! How're you doing today? Perking right along? Now I'm a coffee fan as you know but I also like a nice cup of tea and often that is green tea. How about you? While you are munching on your virtual treat of the day and sipping your Arabica, here's something I liberated from Dr. Weil's health web site.

Drinking six cups of green tea daily may slow the growth of prostate cancer. A study from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, presented at the annual conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, showed that men scheduled for prostate removal who drank lots of green tea tamped down inflammation associated with the disease in the weeks leading up to surgery. This anti-inflammatory change might slow the growth of the tumor, the researchers suggested.

A total of 67 patients participated in the study. One group drank six cups of brewed green tea daily for three to eight weeks before surgery while the others drank water. After surgery, blood and urine samples analyzed along with tissue samples showed that the men who drank the green tea had lower signs of inflammation, PSA levels and expression of DNA damage than the men who drank water.

However, the researchers noted that no significant difference in tumor cell growth showed up between the two groups of men. Larger studies will be needed to confirm these findings. In the meantime, drinking green tea won't hurt and might possibly benefit prostate cancer patients.

I was reading something recently claiming that most men will get prostate cancer - only many of us will die before it becomes an issue. Gloomy thought but it just means the disease is slower in some folks than in others. Well, if prostate cancer weighs on your mind, reach for green tea... five or six cups a day.

Okay... it prompts a question. Does green tea ice cream count?

See ya, eh!

Bob