◎鄭寺音

A chemical found in green tea appears to slow the progression of prostate cancer, a study has suggested.

研究顯示，綠茶中的一種化學物質，似乎可減緩攝護腺癌的發展。

The research, in the US journal Cancer Prevention Research, found a significant fall in certain markers which indicate cancer development.

這份刊登在美國癌症預防研究期刊的研究發現，顯示癌症發展的特定標記出現明顯下降。

A UK charity said the tea might help men manage low-risk tumours. Although previous studies have shown benefits from drinking green tea - including some positive findings in relation to prostate cancer, there have been mixed results.

一個英國慈善機構說，綠茶或許有助男性處理低風險的腫瘤。

雖然過去的研究顯示，喝綠茶有好處，包括與攝護腺癌相關的一些正面研究發現，不過研究結果不一。

In this study, Philadelphia-based researchers tested a compound called Polyphenon E. They were looking for a number of biomarkers - molecules - including vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） and hepatocyte growth factor （HGF）.

在這份研究中，費城的研究人員測試稱為 Polyphenon E的複合物。他們研究多種生物指標——分子，包括血管內皮成長因子（VEGF），以及肝細胞生長因子（HGF）。

They also looked for prostate specific antigen （PSA） - a protein only found in the prostate. Levels can rise if cancer is present.

他們也研究攝護腺特異抗原（PSA ）。攝護腺特異抗原是一種只在攝護腺發現的蛋白質。如果攝護腺出現癌症，這種蛋白質的量會增加。

The study included 26 men, aged 41 to 72 years, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Patients took four capsules containing Polyphenon E for an average of 34 days, up until the day before surgery - the equivalent of around 12 cups of normally brewed concentrated green tea.

這份研究以26名41到72歲的男性為對象，這些人都被診斷出攝護腺癌。病患服用四顆Polyphenon E膠囊，平均服用34天，直到手術的前一天，服用量相當於12杯正常泡製的濃縮綠茶。

新聞辭典

charity：名詞，慈善，慈善團體。例句：She does a lot of work for charity.（她做了很多慈善工作。）

mixed：形容詞，摻雜的，混雜的。例句：There has been a mixed reaction to the changes.（這些改變引發的反應不一。）

brew：動詞，泡（茶）、煮（咖啡）。例句：He brewed some coffee for us.（他幫我們泡了一些咖啡。）

自由時報-980625

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