Adding to the already well-publicized antioxidant power of green tea polyphenols, a new study published in the June 1, 2007, edition of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention demonstrated a significant risk reduction of colorectal cancer (CRC) in women who regularly drank green tea.
The study, conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China; and National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, evaluated the association between green tea consumption and CRC risk in 69,710 Chinese women ages 40 to 70. Information on tea consumption was assessed through in-person interviews at baseline, and reassessed two to three years later in a follow-up survey. During six years of follow-up, 256 cases of CRC were identified.
For women who reported drinking green tea regularly, the relative risk of CRC was 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.45 to 0.88), compared with nonregular tea drinkers. The reduction in risk was most evident among those who consistently reported drinking tea regularly in both the baseline and follow-up surveys (relative risk, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.24 to 0.77). The inverse association with regular tea drinking was observed for both colon and rectal cancers.
Further, a significant dose-response relationship was found for both the amount of tea consumed and duration in years of lifetime tea consumption.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and other polyphenols found in green tea—including the flavonoids catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate and proanthocyanidins—have been positively linked to a range of health conditions, including reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, diabetes and autoimmune diseases, as well as improved skin health and weight loss.
