Green Tea May Slow Down Oral Cancer

Green tea extract may help to delay oral cancer in people at risk, new research suggests. Researchers gave green tea extract to 41 people who had pre-cancerous cells in their mouths. The dose was equal to 8 to 10 cups of green tea daily. Another group received placebos. The study lasted 28 months. In that time, people who took green tea extract were just as likely as the other group to develop oral cancer. But in one group who took green tea extract, the cancer took longer to develop. This was the group of people who had mild to moderate abnormal cell growth at the start of the study. Study results were released online by the journal Cancer Prevention Research. HealthDay News wrote about the study November 5.