Green tea extract is helpful in keeping oral cancer at bay: Study

After conducting studies on green tea extract, the University of Texas Cancer Center has concluded that this herbal extract plays a significant role in preventing oral cancer. It is helpful in patients having a pre-malignant condition called oral leukoplakia.

A lot of studies have indicated the usefulness of green tea extracts against bone loss, for lung protection, in colon cancer, prostrate cancer, heart diseases and now oral cancer as well.

Only 50 percent oral cancer patients have a five year survival rate. The rate of occurrence of the disease is increasing each year; tobacco and alcohol being the two main causes. In 2008 35,000 people were diagnosed with the disease, which was an 11 percent rise than the previous year.

The study by the Texan cancer centre was the first one ever to investigate green tea’s usefulness against oral cancer or oral leukoplakia. Under the study 41 patients were given green tea extract or placebo randomly. The patients who were taking green tea extract were getting one of the following three doses - 500 per meter squared of body mass (mg/m2); 750 mg/m2, or 1,000 mg/m2, three times daily.

The oral tissue samples were collected at the beginning of the study and later at the end of 12 weeks of treatment. The samples taken at the end of the 12 week treatment surely revealed that the green tea had helped in stopping the further growth of tumors. Patients who were taking green tea had samples where new blood vessel production in the tumour had stopped. Thus, green tea surely had an anti-angiogenic effect and anti-cancer effect.

The patients were given three different dosage levels and it was found that all levels of dosage proved to be helpful in varying degrees. 58.8 percent people showed a clinical response at the two highest doses. 36.4 percent people showed a response in the lowest dose category and 18.2 in the placebo group.

Although high doses showed insomnia and nervousness as some side effects, the extract was generally well tolerated.