Each year, more than 26,000 men die in the U.S. from prostate cancer.
Just the phrase "prostate cancer" is enough to scare many men I've met (including a fair number of our readers), especially in Western countries.
Countries like the U.S., Norway, and France have some of the highest prostate cancer rates in the world.
Countries in Southeast and Central Asia, like India and Thailand, have some of the lowest prostate cancer rates.
One possible reason?
Green tea.
A new study from Taiwan found that green tea leaf waste inhibits cancer cell growth. Researchers used the waste (the leftovers from making green tea beverages) on prostate cancer cells, finding that the waste was able to stop cell growth.
This isn't the first study to show green tea's impact on prostate cancer.
In 2010, researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that an antioxidant called antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells. EGCG even sped up cell death in cancer cells while leaving noncancerous cells unharmed.
In fact, a new randomized-control study (the gold standard for medical research) saw that a compound in green tea actually lowered prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with early stages of prostate cancer.
We need more human studies to determine the effectiveness of green tea in fighting prostate cancer. And these studies don't mean you should start drinking gallons of green tea each day.
Too much green tea causes liver damage... even complete liver failure.
And as I've mentioned in the past, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from other causes. That's because prostate cancer is often a slow-progressing disease. But some men do develop a more aggressive form of cancer. (
Read here to learn how to spot the signs if you think you're at risk.)
But the side effects of prostate cancer treatments can be more devastating than the disease. So I'm happy to see studies piling up on the possibility of green tea preventing prostate cancer.
And green tea doesn't just help reduce your risk of prostate cancer...