According to the findings of a research, led by Jim Cardelli of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, a green tea extract – epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) – with anti-oxidant properties can prove effective in slowing the progression of prostate cancer.

Researchers found that Polyphenon E capsules – manufactured by Polyphenon Pharma – that contain EGCG, helped in lowering the levels of those proteins that are used by the tumors to grow and spread. 

To arrive at the findings of the study – published in the US journal Cancer Prevention Research – the researchers tested 26 prostate cancer patients, in the age-group 41 to 68 years. Each of the patients was administered took four Polyphenon E capsules daily for nearly one month before they had their prostates removed.

The blood tests of the patients revealed a fall in the levels of three proteins connected to the growth and spread of prostate cancer. On an average, the patients showed an 18.9 percent drop in hepatocyte growth factor (HGF); 9.9 percent drop in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and 10.4 percent fall in prostate specific antigen (PSA). 

Saying that the study is still in an “early stage”, 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 chemotherapy or radiation.”