New Research Suggests That Drinking Tea May Decrease Risk of Ovarian Cancer
Findings published in December issue of Archives of Internal Medicine
NEW YORK, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Women who consume two or more cups of tea daily over a period of time may lower their risk of ovarian cancer by 46% compared with women who never or seldom consume tea, according to new research published in the December issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study found that each additional cup of tea consumed per day was associated with an 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer in study participants. This is the most comprehensive epidemiological study to show an association between higher consumption of tea and lowered risk of ovarian cancer.
"This research calls attention, once again, to the potential role that tea may play in disease prevention," says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the U.S.A. "An abundance of research suggests that tea may play a role in the reduction of risk of cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer. These new findings suggest that drinking tea regularly may help to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer as well. This is good news and points to yet another area where tea may have a positive effect on health."
The study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, examined the association between tea consumption and risk of ovarian cancer in 61,057 women 40 to 76 years of age who were participants in the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort. Participants completed a validated 67-item food frequency questionnaire at enrollment between 1987 and 1990 and were followed for cancer incidence through December 2004. At baseline, 68% of the participants reported drinking tea (primarily black tea) at least once per month. During 15.1 years of follow-up, 301 women were diagnosed as having epithelial ovarian cancer. The researchers found tea consumption of two or more cups of tea per day was significantly inversely associated with risk of ovarian cancer. Specifically, a 46% lower risk of ovarian cancer was found in women who drank 2 or more cups of tea per day compared with non tea drinkers and each additional cup of tea was associated with an 18% decreased risk of ovarian cancer. The authors state that more research should be conducted in this area to confirm these promising findings.
A multitude of research studies suggest that drinking tea should be included as part of a healthy diet and may contribute to overall health. Recent findings suggest the potential health benefits of tea including:
* Cardiovascular health benefits, including reduced risk of heart attack,
stroke and improved blood vessel function
* Reduced risk of certain cancers, including colorectal and skin cancers
* Reduced levels of oxidative DNA damage and increases in antioxidant
levels in blood stream
* Oral health benefits, as researchers believe certain compounds in tea
may inhibit bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque, and the fluoride
content in tea supports healthy tooth enamel
Since tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, tea's potential health benefits could have important implications on human health and disease prevention. The Tea Association of the USA is a trade association representing tea manufacturers, suppliers, producers and growers.
Contact: Barbara King/Melissa McAllister
Pollock Communications, Inc.
(646) 277-8707/(646) 277-8711
bking@pollock-pr.com/mmcallister@pollock-pr.com SOURCE Tea Council of the U.S.A.
