Drinking Tea May Guard Against Ovarian Cancer

Consuming two or more cups of tea a day over a period of timemay reduce the risk of ovarian cancer dramatically, suggests anew study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Andeach additional cup of tea per day appears to providesignificantly more protection, investigators found.

Because tea is the second most-consumed beverage in the world,its potential health benefits could have important implicationsfor human health and disease prevention, says the Tea Council ofthe USA.

"An abundance of research suggests that tea may play a role inthe reduction of risk of cardiovascular disease and varioustypes of cancer," notes Joe Simrany, president of the tradeorganization. "These new findings suggest that drinking tearegularly may help to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer as well.This is good news and points to yet another area where tea mayhave a positive effect on health."

46 Percent Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Researchers at Sweden's National Institute of EnvironmentalMedicine, Karolinska Institutet, examined the associationbetween tea consumption and risk of ovarian cancer in 61,057women 40 to 76 years of age who took part in thepopulation-based Swedish Mammography Cohort.

The participants completed a validated 67-item food frequencyquestionnaire at enrollment between 1987 and 1990, and werefollowed for cancer incidence through December 2004.

At baseline, 68 percent of the participants reported drinkingtea -- primarily black tea -- at least once a month. During 15.1years of follow-up, 301 women were diagnosed as havingepithelial ovarian cancer. The researchers found tea consumptionof two or more cups of tea per day had a significant inverseassociation with risk of ovarian cancer.

Specifically, women who drank two or more cups of tea per dayexperienced a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer, comparedwith women who drank no tea. Each additional cup of tea wasassociated with an 18 percent decreased risk of ovarian cancer.

Additional Health Benefits

A multitude of research studies suggest that drinking tea maycontribute to overall health. Potential benefits include thefollowing:

• Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, and improved bloodvessel function;
• Less risk of certain cancers, including colorectal and skincancers;
• Decreased levels of oxidative DNA damage and increases inantioxidant levels in the bloodstream; and
• Oral health benefits -- researchers believe certain compoundsin tea may inhibit bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque,and the fluoride content in tea supports healthy tooth enamel.