A 37-year study of more than 6,000 men by researchers at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom showed that people who drank more than seven cups of tea a day had a 50 percent increased risk of prostate cancer than those who drank less than three cups of tea a day. Their findings are contrary to previous studies that said drinking tea reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. However, a recent randomized controlled study published by Kumar NB demonstrated that green tea catechol use for one year did not reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The study used a placebo control, and a green tea catechol mixture consisting of 400 mg of catechin (EGCG) used daily for 1 year did not reduce the risk of prostate cancer compared to placebo. Other studies have suggested that green tea itself may not have much effect on prostate cancer, but may enhance the effects of chemotherapy drugs. Dr. Kashif Shafique began the study in 1970, when participants between the ages of 21 and 75 were asked to complete questionnaires on their tea, coffee and alcohol consumption, and, of course, smoking habits and health status. At that time, less than a quarter of the 6,016 people drank more than seven cups of tea a day. Over the next 37 years, 6.4 percent of these people developed prostate cancer. The researchers found that people who drank a lot of tea usually abstained from alcohol completely and had healthier lifestyles, and may also have had a greater chance of developing prostate cancer because they lived longer. Shafik said, “We don’t yet know whether tea itself contains risk factors or whether tea drinkers are generally healthier and live longer and therefore have a greater prevalence of prostate cancer.” It is reported that almost 80 percent of the UK population drink tea, consuming 165 million cups of tea every day. The annual value of tea in the UK is more than £700 million (about RMB 7 billion). And 40,000 people in the UK suffer from prostate cancer each year, and more than 10,000 die. Also, Dr. Kashif Shafique found that drinking coffee reduces the risk of prostate cancer, the opposite effect of green tea. In conclusion, the effect of tea on prostate cancer is still controversial and subsequent studies with larger samples and longer-term, more rigorous designs may be needed to confirm it.