Is green tea ok to drink after completing Herceptin?

LillyDuff

I just read somewhere that Herceptin lingers in the body a good 6-8 months following treatment completion. I waited about two months before starting to drink decaf. green tea (one cup a night.) I thought it would be safe and a good idea to add antioxidants into my diet since I finished all treatments,but wonder now if it's not. Anyone have insight into this topic? I'm worried. Will bring it up to my MO next visit.

Thanks in advance.

Tess111

Hi Lilly,

I used the website www.foodforbreastcancer.com as my guide on matters like this. To be honest, I kept finding conflicting do's and don'ts when it came to breast cancer diet, making me very confused. Eventually, I chose to stick pretty close to this website's recommendations because I needed some kind of guideline to follow for my own peace of mind. (I still eat the occasional avocado and I include very dark chocolate (86%) in my diet, neither of which are recommended on the website.)

According to the website Green Tea is on the "foods that amplify the anti-cancer effects of Herceptin."

It also says on the Herceptin page, "Olive oil, green tea and cruciferous vegetables have been shown to counteract Herceptin resistance in the laboratory."

So, it sounds like, at least in this website's opinion, green tea is fine. Here is the link to the Herceptin page - https://foodforbreastcancer.com/articles/breast-cancer-diet-during-herceptin-treatment

Congratulations on being done with Herceptin! My husband and I just went out on Tuesday to celebrate my one year anniversary of completing my Herceptin infusions.

Sending gentle hugs your way.

illimae

I’ve never heard of problems with green tea. I was only told by my rads onc not to use steeped green tea bags on my skin during treatment but drinking was fine.

LillyDuff

Tess111:

Thank you for the information and links. I appreciate the feedback. It's nice to hear back from others who have "been there and done that!"

Congratulations on your anniversary!

LillyDuff

illimae:

Thank you for posting back. It's helpful to read that your Oncologist commented on specifics about green tea!