Green Tea and Skin Cancer

Santosh K. Katiyar, Ph.D.
University of Alabama Birmingham
R03ES011421

A new study funded by NIEHS and the National Cancer Institute finds that drinking green tea can reverse the effects of sun damage to the skin and prevent skin cancer. The studies senior author and NIEHS grantee, Santosh K. Katiyar of the University of Alabama Birmingham, found that green tea prevents UV radiation induced suppression of the immune system, which has been considered a risk factor for skin cancer.

Green tea has been proven to be rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds known as polyphenols and epigallocatechins, compounds known to have anti-carcinogenic qualities. This study takes the current knowledge one step further. The researchers have found that drinking green tea may also help doctors treat internal cancers and also to heal the pre-cancerous rough, scaly keratosis that some people get from prolonged, chronic exposure to the sun.

The study found that in a mice model, green tea polyphenols administered in drinking water or the application of epigallocatechin-3-gallate to the skin prevents skin tumors through a variety of mechanisms including the induction of interleukin 12, interleukin 12-dependent DNA repair following nucleotide excision repair, inhibiting ultraviolet radiation induced immunosuppression and angiogenic factors, and stimulating cytotoxic T-cells in the tumor microenvironment.

The authors do not speculate as to how much green tea people should drink to reap the benefits, but they suggest that drinking green tea over a period of time reduces the severe effects of sun damage to skin. The study still needs independent confirmation, but it offers hope for a new and significant therapy for the prevention of skin cancer and a new treatment option for patients suffering from skin cancer.

Citation: Katiyar S, Elmets CA, Katiyar SK. Green tea and skin cancer: photoimmunology, angiogenesis and DNA repair. J Nutr Biochem. 2007 May;18(5):287-96.