Men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression, according to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate juice may slow the progression of post-treatment prostate cancer recurrence, according to new long-term research results presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), April 2009.

Researchers found that men who have undergone treatment for localized prostate cancer could benefit from drinking pomegranate juice by seeing a significant slowing of the rate of rising in their PSA (prostate specific antigen).

Spanish researchers pioneering a rapid, automated method of screening food products for pesticides have found unacceptably high levels of pesticides in fruit-based Fanta brand soft drinks. The brand is part of the Coca-Cola line. Pesticide levels were highest in Fanta sold in the UK.

The study sampled more than 100 drinks from 15 countries including the United States, Russia, Italy, Germany, France and Switzerland. Those in Britain had the highest concentrations. The levels were on average more than 34 times greater than those permitted in tap or bottled drinking water, with some up to 300 times.

Swedish researchers report “an inverse association between moderate alcohol intake and risk of renal cell cancer. Consumption of red wine, white wine, and strong beer was associated with a lower risk. ”

But, they add, “there were no clear associations with light and medium beer, strong wine, or hard liquor, perhaps due to chance or differences in other risk factors related to specific types of alcoholic drink. For example, the large variation in other risk factors such as smoking and occupation could explain why hard liquor was not associated with renal cell cancer risk although we controlled for known risk factors.”

The study appears in July issue of British Journal of Cancer. Other recent studies have found that red wine intake reduces risk of prostate cancer in men.

Drinking one or more cups of coffee per day has been found to lower the risk of death from liver cancer in a study in Japan including men and women with hepatitis C and a history of smoking and alcohol use.

Lately, claims of health benefits from consumption of Asian green tea have brought about a virtual revolution in the tea aisles of US supermarkets. Wal-Mart sells numerous brands of green tea plus white and red teas and various flavors of black tea.

So it is interesting to see that in Japan recent studies have suggested a lower risk of liver cancer in coffee-drinkers.

Unless these studies are tied in with some public relations conspiracy to prepare the Japanese population for coffee-house chains (seriously, no evidence of that) they may have a message for Westerners: don’t throw out the coffee pot when you add green tea to your day.