Green Tea and the Prostate: What FDA and Cochrane Found

By the ProstateFoods editorial team · Last updated October 13, 2026 Short answer: The evidence that green tea protects the prostate is weak. In 2005 the FDA concluded it is "highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer" [1]; later court-ordered wording still says FDA found "very little scientific evidence" [2]. A 2020 Cochrane review rated the trial evidence on green tea extract and prostate cancer as low-certainty [3]. As a drink, plain green tea is a low-calorie choice; concentrated extracts are a different matter.

What the FDA said

In 2004 a company asked the FDA to allow green tea cancer claims. In June 2005 the agency rejected claims for most cancers and allowed only qualified statements about breast and prostate cancer. The prostate statement read: "One weak and limited study does not show that drinking green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer, but another weak and limited study suggests that drinking green tea may reduce this risk. Based on the studies, FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer" [1]. After a 2012 court ruling, the permitted wording changed, but it still had to state that FDA found very little scientific evidence for the claim [2].

What the Cochrane review found

Cochrane reviewers pooled 142 studies [3]:

Tea vs. extract

A cup of brewed green tea has about 29 mg of caffeine in USDA data (12 mg per 100 g; 245 g cup) [4]. Extract capsules concentrate the tea's compounds far beyond what you'd drink, which is where the side effects in the Cochrane review came from [3]. Talk to your doctor before taking any extract.

If you have BPH symptoms

Green tea contains caffeine, which NIH suggests limiting if you have urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate [5]. See foods and drinks to limit with BPH and coffee and the prostate.

Ocha & Co. organic sencha is a good loose-leaf green tea to start with.

Sources

1. Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 98 (May 22, 2006), describing FDA's June 2005 letter of enforcement discretion for green tea and breast and prostate cancer. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2006-05-22/html/E6-7692.htm
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Qualified Health Claims: Letters of Enforcement Discretion (green tea letters 2005, 2011 and 2012). https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/qualified-health-claims-letters-enforcement-discretion
3. Filippini T, Malavolti M, Borrelli F, et al. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) for the prevention of cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;3(3):CD005004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32118296/
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/prostate-problems/prostate-enlargement-benign-prostatic-hyperplasia

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ProstateFoods writes about food, not treatment. Nothing here is medical advice or a claim that any food treats, cures or prevents a disease. Talk to your doctor before changing how you eat, especially if you take medication or have a health condition. See our medical disclaimer. Photo: White cup with green tea in it by Douglas P Perkins, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.