With about 50,000 Japanese men aged 40-69 as respondents, the study done by the Tokyo's Epidemiology and Prevention Division discovered that those who had a 5 cup-or-more daily intake of green tea cut their risk of spreading prostate cancer by half, as compared to those who drank less than one cup.
The study, which was conducted between 1990 and 2004, was released Wednesday, and according to the AP, it was the first to actually suggest green tea as a medicinal took to prevent the spread of the cancer.
"This does not mean that people who drink green tea are guaranteed to have reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer," said co-author Norie Kurahashi.
Xinhuanet quoted Kurahashi, "We are just presenting our results. But the study does point to the hope that green tea reduces the risk of advanced prostate cancer.
Researchers believe that catechin, a substance abundant in green tea, helps reduce levels of testosterone, which has been identified as a risk factor to prostate cancer.
The article said that the cancer is found to be much less common among Asian men compared to Western men. They suspect this finding to have been the result of Asian men's greater consumption of green tea.
