green tea and prostate cancer

Drinking several cups of green tea every day may help keep prostate cancer from spreading, according to a study funded by the Japanese government.

A study of nearly 50,000 Japanese men aged 40-69 found that those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day reduced their risk of having progressive prostate cancer by half, compared with those who drank a cup or less, according to the Epidemiology and Prevention Division of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo

I've written before about green tea- and it's cousins, black, oolong and white tea- in "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth". Tea's probably the healthiest beverage in the world next to- or maybe even including- water. It may even have weight loss benefits, and many people use the concentrated extract of green tea for just this reason. While it won't melt pounds off, it may help by giving your metabolism a nudge, especially if you're doing all the other good stuff. Some research shows that folks who drink five cups a day or more have a way easier time of maintaining weight. Plus you get all the other striking health benefits as well.

I don't worry as much as a lot of people seem to about the small amount of caffeine. People who drink green tea- and the studies have all been done on the caffeinated kind by the way- don't seem to get the jitters that much. Probably that's because green tea also contains a powerful natural relaxant called theanine, which may negate the small effect of the caffeine, which isn't all that bad for you in that amount anyway.