University Health Study: Green Tea's Role in Cancer Prevention (PICO)

This assignment addresses the PICO question: In young women, does drinking green tea prevent cancer compared to drinking black tea? The student explores the composition of tea, focusing on polyphenols, catechins, and specifically epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in green tea, and contrasts it with black tea. A comprehensive search of databases like CINAHL and MEDLINE was conducted, using keywords such as "green tea", "cancer prevention", "antioxidants", and "metastasis". The assignment presents search strategies, results, and limiters used, along with supporting research articles. Findings suggest that green tea, due to its antioxidant properties and catechins, may have a role in inhibiting cancer. The assignment concludes that while green tea offers health benefits, more research is needed to fully support the PICO question.

Running head: PICO QUESTION
PICO QUESTION
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1PICO QUESTION
Introduction
PICO QUESTION – In young women (P) will drink green tea (I) prevent cancer (O) compared
to drinking black tea (C).
Tea is normally composed of polyphenols, alkaloids, amino acids, carbohydrates,
proteins and volatile organic compounds. The polyphenols are a large group of phytochemicals
that contain catechins, which are thought to be responsible for the prevention of cancer. Green
tea contains abundant quantity of catechins that is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) that is
thought to be extremely helpful. In comparison to that black tea have much less concentration of
catechins. Although both the kind of tea comes from the same plant Camellia sinesis, Black tea
is made by fermentation which green tea does not have to pass through. During the fermentation
process many natural benefits are lost in the case of black tea. An extensive search has been
performed through various databases, articles and journals in order to address the PICO question.
A data in a tabular form has been provided in this report to support the PICO question.
Discussion
Key words/ search terms/ Phrases Alternative words
P Young adult AND Green tea Young adults AND benefits of green tea.
Green tea OR cancer prevention.
I Green tea Catechins AND cancer prevention Catechins AND reduction of oxidative
stress. EGCG OR metastasis. Flavanoids
AND anti cancer potential. Polyphenols

2PICO QUESTION
OR Catechins. Flavanoids OR anticancer
potential.
C Black tea OR green tea in cancer prevention. Green tea Catechins AND black tea.
Components of green tea Or black tea.
O Green tea AND Antioxidants
Antioxidants OR tumor cell shrinkage
Antioxidants AND cancer prevention,
antioxidants AND cancer cell shrinkage.
CINAHL and MEDLINE have been used to do the research regarding the following PICOT
question.
Nurses and the health care professionals use the CINAHL database to find out a wide
variety of journals. It makes the best use of the research informations. Science literatures have
evolved from time to time in terms of their specialization and this website provides us with a vast
array of scientific literatures. It is the best database while conducting a review of qualitative
evidence. It also provides an advanced search with the limiters.
MEDLINE focuses of biomedical and clinical journals. It is one of the most popular and
responsible resources on the world wide web. It is an appropriate website for the scholars,
physicians and the researchers, nurses.
Both CINAHL and MEDLINE have provided with a variety of journals that addresses the
PICOT question. Various journals regarding the antioxidant properties of Green tea over black
tea had been discussed.

3PICO QUESTION
ACTION SEARCH MODE RESULTS LIMITERS/EXPANDERS
S1 Boolean/ phrase
Young* AND Green
tea, Cancer*
119 Limiters- Abstract
Available; Published Date:
20100101-20171231;
English Language; Peer
Reviewed.
Expander- * Young AND
*Cancer
S2 Boolean/ phrase
Green tea* OR black
tea *
Green tea OR Cancer
prevention
74 Limiters- Abstract
Available; Published Date:
20100101-20171231;
English Language; Peer
Reviewed, Research
article.
Expander- Cancer*,
Prevent* wildcard used.
S3 Smart text searching
Polyphenols OR
Catechins in green tea
for preventing cancer.
25 Expanders- Apply related
words; Also search within
the full text of the articles
S4 Boolean/ phrase.
Antioxidants* AND
metastasis*
25 Full text,
Published date: 20120101-
20161231
Expanders-
Antioxidants*AND

4PICO QUESTION
Metastasis* wildcard
used.
S5 Smart text searching-
Antioxidants and
meta*
12 Limiters-
Full text
Published Date:
20120101-20161231
Publication: clinical
nutrition
English Language
Peer Reviewed
Expanders- Antioxidants*
AND meta*
S6 Smart text searching-
Efficiency of Epi-
gallactocatechin-3-
gallate in the
prevention of cancer
2 Limiters-
Application of related
words, Full text, English
language, peer reviewed,
2014-2017.
The PICO question of this assignment is about whether green tea is better than black tea
in preventing cancer. Although there are very few evidences that can prove that green tea has any
other extra beneficial effects than the black tea, but it can be said that Black tea is made by
fermentation which green tea does not have to pass through. During the fermentation process
many natural benefits are lost in case of the black tea.

5PICO QUESTION
Iwasaki, M., Mizusawa, J., Kasuga, Y., Yokoyama, S., Onuma, H., Nishimura, H., & ...
Tsugane, S. (2014). Green Tea Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk in Japanese Women:
A Case-Control Study. Nutrition & Cancer, 66(1), 57-67. doi:10.1080/01635581.2014.847963
The following research article provides information about the various components of green tea
that helps in inhibiting the metastasis of the cancer. It also provides us with the idea of how the
antioxidants apply their oxidative radicals on the tumour cells and helps in their destruction. The
following journal is a review regarding how green tea consumption has role in minimizing breast
cancer.
Wang, P., Heber, D., & Henning, S. M. (2012). Quercetin Increased the Antiproliferative
Activity of Green Tea Polyphenol (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate in Prostate Cancer
Cells. Nutrition & Cancer, 64(4), 580-587. doi:10.1080/01635581.2012.661514
This reference provides with the information of how the catechin present in the green tea have
anticancerous properties. Catechins like Epigallocatechin-3-gallate helps in preventing the
metastasis in cancer.
Conclusion
It can hereby be concluded that green tea has got some really good effects on the health.
It has got the antioxidant properties that helps to relieve the oxidative stress and thus helps in
inhibiting cancer. Although there are several health benefits of consuming green tea, there are
very few research articles that support the raised PICO question.

6PICO QUESTION
References
Connors, S. K., Chornokur, G., & Kumar, N. B. (2012). New Insights Into the Mechanisms of Green
Tea Catechins in the Chemoprevention of Prostate Cancer. Nutrition & Cancer, 64(1), 4-22.
doi:10.1080/01635581.2012.630158
Iwasaki, M., Mizusawa, J., Kasuga, Y., Yokoyama, S., Onuma, H., Nishimura, H., & ... Tsugane, S.
(2014). Green Tea Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk in Japanese Women: A Case-Control
Study. Nutrition & Cancer, 66(1), 57-67. doi:10.1080/01635581.2014.847963
Lanfang, W., Xingwei, Z., Jing, L., Li, S., & Zhiqiang, L. (2014). Tea consumption and lung cancer risk:
A meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Nutrition, 30(10), 1122-1127.
doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.02.023
Vance, T. M., Su, J., Fontham, E. H., Koo, S. I., & Chun, O. K. (2013). Dietary Antioxidants and
Prostate Cancer: A Review. Nutrition & Cancer, 65(6), 793-801.
doi:10.1080/01635581.2013.806672
Wang, P., Heber, D., & Henning, S. M. (2012). Quercetin Increased the Antiproliferative Activity of
Green Tea Polyphenol (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate in Prostate Cancer Cells. Nutrition &
Cancer, 64(4), 580-587. doi:10.1080/01635581.2012.661514