Green tea, breast and liver cancer

Many benefits have been associated with green tea consumption. The polyphenols in green tea may also be preventive against various cancers.

Regular consumption of green tea and breast cancer risk was evaluated recently (Shrubsole MJ, et al. 2009). Compared with nondrinkers, regular drinking of green tea was associated with a slightly decreased risk for breast cancer.

A dose-response relationship was also found with the amount of green tea consumed per month. Higher amount provided more protection.

The association between green tea consumption and liver cancer incidence has also been evaluated (Ui A, et al. 2009). 41,761 adults aged 40-79 years participated in the study which lasted for 9 years.

The researcher found that green tea consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of liver cancer. Higher green tea consumption was associated with lower risk. 5 cups or more per day provided the most protection.

If you like green tea, it is better if you also make it strong. It is the polyphenols in the green tea which provides the protection. If you don’t want to drink 5 cups or more daily of green tea, you can take one capsule per day of a green tea extract, which is equivalent to 5 or more cups.

To read the original abstracts, click on the references below.


References:

Shrubsole MJ, Lu W, Chen Z, Shu XO, Zheng Y, Dai Q, Cai Q, Gu K, Ruan ZX, Gao YT, Zheng W. Drinking green tea modestly reduces breast cancer risk. J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):310-6. Epub 2008 Dec 11.

Ui A, Kuriyama S, Kakizaki M, Sone T, Nakaya N, Ohmori-Matsuda K, Hozawa A, Nishino Y, Tsuji I. Green tea consumption and the risk of liver cancer in Japan: the Ohsaki Cohort study. Cancer Causes Control. 2009 Dec;20(10):1939-45. Epub 2009 Sep 19.