Can green tea prevent or fight cancer?There has been recent controversy as to whether green tea can prevent or fight cancer. There are studies that support this claim and others that dismiss it.
Current Status
After review of studies concerning green tea and cancer, the FDA found that the consumption of green tea had any effect on reducing the risk factor for cancer.
From the FDA:
"Under the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "Consumer Health for Better Nutrition Initiative," the Agency is announcing the results of a review of qualified health claims that green tea may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Based on a systematic evaluation of the available scientific data, the FDA intends to consider exercising its enforcement discretion for the following qualified health claims for breast and prostate cancer:
"Two studies do not show that drinking green tea reduces the risk of breast cancer in women, but one weaker, more limited study suggests that drinking green tea may reduce this risk. Based on these studies, FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk of breast cancer"; and
"One weak and limited study does not show that drinking green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer, but another weak and limited study suggests that drinking green tea may reduce this risk. Based on these studies, FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer."
The FDA also concluded that existing evidence does not support qualified health claims for green tea consumption and a reduced risk of any other type of cancer.
Guidance on qualified health claims for conventional foods and dietary supplements was issued by the FDA in July 2003. FDA will continue to evaluate new information that becomes available to determine whether changes in these claims, or in the decision, are necessary."
Green Tea for Breast Cancer 
By Terri Paajanen, May 10, 2001 
Green tea has many health benefits, some have been proven and some may just be folklore. One particular effect that green tea seems to have is to fight and/or prevent breast cancer.
First of all, what is green tea? Just like black tea, it comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Black tea is fermented and green tea is not (oolong tea is partly fermented). Green tea is very popular in
Some of the various chemical compounds in green tea:
- polyphenols and flavonoids
- alkaloids, such as caffeine and theobromine
- carbohydrates
- tannins
- minerals, such as fluoride and aluminum
When it comes to cancer treatment and prevention, it's the polyphenols that are important. Green tea has higher amounts of these chemicals than black tea because the fermentation process alters their composition. Of all the different polyphenols, one seems to stand out above the rest. EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is a very powerful antioxidant and is believed to be an important player in the therapeutic qualities of green tea. How it works is still unclear, but it may inhibit cell-replication enzymes (preventing cancer growth) as well as other cellular processes that are too complicated to get into.
In various studies, rats with breast tumors were given green tea to drink and compared to similar rats that only drank water. The green-tea-rats had reductions in tumor size, and new tumors were slower to develop. There don't seem to have been any studies on humans yet.
For humans to gain any health benefits, you would need to drink around 3-4 cups every day (without milk or sugar). For people who are at-risk for developing cancer, it might be a worthwhile avenue to pursue. I think for the everyday person, that's a lot of tea to drink. You can also get your green tea in capsule form, but there have been no studies done on the effectiveness of such pills.
A major concern with drinking so much tea is the caffeine. Though there is less caffeine in tea than in coffee, it does start to add up when drinking large volumes. But can you switch to decaf? The answer is, maybe. It all depends on how your chosen tea is decaffeinated. Tea that has been decaffeinated with a solvent (such as Ethyl Acetate) is going to have a much lower level of EGCG, than a tea that has been processed with a water/carbon dioxide method. Water decaffeinated tea will retain almost 95% of its EGCG.
So there is one more good reason for us women to drink green tea. I read that green tea might also help against prostate cancer, but that's another article altogether.
