Green tea may reduce the risk of skin cancer

May 9 2007

Green tea just keeps getting better. To add to the abundance of health-improving qualities of the beverage, UAB Researcher Santosh Katiyar, Ph.D., associate professor of dermatology, claims that it can reduce the risk of skin cancer.

According to Katiyar, the rich tumor-inhibiting green tea polyphenols, which include the antioxidant, epigallocatechin-3-gallae (EGGCG), protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation-induced damage and prevent skin tumor formation.

“Green tea prevents UV radiation induced suppression of the immune system, which has been considered a risk factor for the development of skin cancer,” he said.

Katiyar's green tea research was most recently published in the May edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry and can be found online at www.sciencedirect.com.

He has devoted the past 17 years to finding ways to prevent skin cancer. Grape and black raspberry consumption can also help prevent skin cancer, he said.