Green tea helps in lowering rate of some digestive system cancers

The most popular flavors with foodies namely Green tea that can be found integrated with other types of foods can help in decreasing the rate of some digestive system cancers, particularly those illnesses related to cancers of the esophagus, stomach and colorectum.

The researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center discovered the same.

Sarah Nechuta, an assistance professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University said, “For all digestive system cancers combined, the risk was reduced by 27% among women who had been drinking tea regularly for atleast 20 years.” Sarah also said, “For colorectal cancer, the risk was reduced by 29% among the long-term tea drinkers. These results suggest that long-term cumulative exposure may be particularly important.”

 In the study, the aim of the researchers was to look at the impact of green tea on cancer risk. They surveyed a group of women who were part of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study, which included an estimated 75,000 middle-aged and older Chinese women.

The population-based study included the initial interviews with participants on their tea drinking habits, like the type of tea they consumed or the amount of tea that was consumed. The majority of women who participated in the study particularly had green tea.

As per the findings, the scientists found that regular tea consumption for minimum three times a week over a six-month period was related to 17% reduction of combination of all digestive cancers. They also found that higher level of tea consumption reduced the risk of cancer even more.

The participants who had 2 to 3 cups a day or a minimum of 150 grams of tea per month showed 21% reduction of risk for developing digestive system cancers. The team of investigators believed that there may be many factors which may have impacted the results.

The researchers also saw that lifestyle factors could also affect the risk of developing digestive system cancers. The participants were interviewed on the types of foods they ate on daily basis, the exercise regime and the highest education they obtained and also their current job.

The scientists also found that the regular tea drinkers exercised more, ate more fruits and vegetables, reached higher education levels and were of younger in age.

Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. It originates in China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia.