Good morning ladies,
I am wondering whether I can resume drinking green tea whilst I'm currently on taxotere? I've been a green tea drinker for a few years now but stopped when I started chemo as I'm certain I'd heard somewhere that it may inhibit the chemo. I have done a quick google search and it was very conflicting! I am also receiving herceptin and perjeta infusions 3 weekly. Thank you in advance.
Hi there
My advice would be just don’t drink green tea...why risk it?
I hate the stuff but I know lots of people love it....you can go back to it in the future
Barb xx
I tried decaf green tea , thinking it was good for me ,but didn’t really enjoy it ...prefer a slice of fresh lemon in hot water with a teaspoon of honey ! I do drink decaf tea and decaf coffee though . It makes a change from water !! x
Hi Caroline,
I don't know whether green tea would interfere with chemotherapy or not. I would suggest you call your oncology nurses or ask your oncologist for some advice.
I wish you well with chemotherapy,
Sophie
Wow! Is this true only of green tea? How about other teas? When I was doing ACT chemo I became unable to tolerate coffee and switched to earl grey throughout treatment.
Sharin
Hi Sandra,
That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing the link. I noticed that green tea should not be consumed if someone is on ibrance or tamoxifen, which many ladies on this forum are on. I drink matcha green tea, which my integrative doctor recommends.
Sophie
Oh dear I was on tamoxifen after my primary diagnosis in 2015 and drinking green tea! It's a minefield knowing what to avoid.
I agree that it is a minefield. One source may say a certain supplement is fine, while another offers contradictory advice. That's why I consult my integrative doctor or a pharmacist if there is a supplement I want to start just to make sure it does not interact with my treatment. But the site that Sandra mentioned is reputable, so it's a good idea to look at that for advice on drug/supplement interactions.
Sophie
That’s a good read. Definitely don’t drink if taking ibrance. I drank it all the time while on Ibrance. I asked my doctor and he said it was ok. I wish the would all be on the same page.
Oh my. I am on Ibrance and have been drinking teapotfuls of green tea since reading in the book AntiCancer that it was one of the most effective natural ways of fighting cancer!
Thank goodness I came across this thread.
Yes, I don't drink much, just a cup a day.
Sophie
Thank you for all your replies, I suppose you have just confirmed to me that I was right to stop drinking green tea as my treatment started but just wanted opinions from you lovely lot.
Here's another perspective. Full disclosure...I study Japanese tea ceremony and love matcha tea! But I also like scientific data to back up decisions like this. Here is a link to one 2016 study; the chart of specific chemos and the effects of the tea polyphenol compounds is especially useful.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
This is the quote from their chart, regarding green tea's effect with Docetaxel (taxotere):
"increase in the expression of apoptotic genes; reduction in growth rate of cancer cells."
As with ice cream, exercise and most things we enjoy, I think moderation is the key. I wouldn't take green tea-packed supplement capsules. I do enjoy a whisked bowl of matcha every few days, and if you enjoy a cup or two a day of steeped green tea a day, I'd say go for it.
Honestly, it drives me a little crazy when something like green tea is demonized while Bayer (which bought out Monsato) just settled a $10 billion lawsuit over it's chemical RoundUp, which has been shown to cause cancer...but they can still sell it! How often do our oncologists say things like, "do you use pesticides in your garden?" ..... "here are ways to avoid plastic consumption"..... "here's a list of the 10 fruits and veggies with the most pesticides, try to buy organic if you can"...."how often do you eat fast food?" I wonder how many oncologists even ask about their patients' diets and lifestyle.
Anyway, that's my more than two cents worth! I hope you do very well on Taxotere. If you can, please keep us posted about it; it's on my list of options when Abraxane stops working for me.
Take care,
Patty
Hi Macromom - My ability to comprehend/digest is limited, so thought I'd ask you outright...I looked at the table in section 2 re: synergy and concluded (?) that tea, including green tea, is....good? If you wouldn't mind confirming, I'd greatly appreciate it...I brew and drink about 48 oz. of green tea (with ginger) each day...Thanks so much for sharing the study...Lynn
Yes, based on this study green tea is generally “good”! I think some of their studies are based on higher concentrations of tea extracts, much more than you might get from your brewed tea. So you may not be getting all the benefits of this study. I do think it’s good to review all supplement and herb interactions with the specific drug(s) you take, especially when you change treatments. The Memorial Sloane Kettering site noted at the beginning can be helpful with that.
Enjoy your tea!
Patty
Wow, hadn't heard any of this. I do drink herb tea, often make my own, but only occasionally green tea. Have just ordered nettle tea as I read on here it helps. I've just moved to the highest quality and organic locally sourced food I can afford and get hold of and started filtering my water thinking it was the best thing to do. Having had all sorts of digestive problems before I started treatment I'm enjoying some of life's treat too, like dark chocolate. Perhaps I'll take up the chance of the meeting with my key worker and talk through some of these things. I don't remember reading anything in the leaflet in the box.
Hi . I drink green tea both decaf and regular . So I was very interested in your post . I went on to the Sloan Kettering site and it specifically mentions Tamoxifin and palbociclib ( Ibrance ) as a no no for green tea. Didn’t see a mention of AI or Perjeta and Herceptin . Kevina
I was told not to drink green tea, eat Seville oranges or grapefruit.
I’m on the same Herceptin/Perjeta for 4 years this month....I’ve never been told to avoid anything to be honest. Anyways I typical drink black tea everyday. But I do use green tea, moringa, dandelion and a few others on occasion. In my opinion bottoms up! Enjoy! If u hear something different let me know as I have been on it for years and have the occasional green tea and never thought anything of it...😀....have a great day!
Hi
Green tea has tremendous health benefits. My oncologist has only reminded me not to have grapefruit or grapefruit juice as it neutralises treatment meds.
You are pretty safe with green tea.
Cherie
There's a difference between "green tea extract" and brewed green tea. Because I've had diarrhea, I have to be careful about caffeine. Even though brewed green tea has less caffeine than black tea, it still has caffeine. So I brew green tea and dilute it to make iced tea, and mix it with fruit juice. The tea cuts the sugar in the fruit juice while the juice cuts the caffeine in the tea. As for herbal teas, I had my oncology nurse ask the hospital pharmacist about them, and some are definitely not recommended - most specifically, red tea (Rooibos)
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