In the United States, more than 1.6 million people have been diagnosed with cancer. Nearly 600,000 people die from the disease, making it the second leading cause of death in the world. Although sometimes unavoidable, it can reduce the risk of cancer. Eliminating risk factors can help prevent 30 to 40 percent of cancers. This includes eliminating tobacco use, increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy diet.
It’s important to see what you eat and drink. You can avoid harmful chemicals or additives that may enter your body. According to a briefing from the 2022 Tea Symposium, higher tea intake may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
“While more research needs to be done to determine the optimal dosage and duration of tea consumption, the conclusions we can share are that Drinking more tea may reduce the risk of certain cancers‘ said the seminar speaker. Dr. Raul Zamora-RossPrincipal Investigator of the Ministry of Nutrition and Cancer, the Catalan Oncology Institute (ICO) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL).
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Zamora-Ros goes on to explain that tea is a beverage rich in flavonoids—a polyphenolic micronutrient that occurs naturally in plants and is a bioactive compound with many anticancer properties.
“There is strong evidence that some polyphenols have cancer-preventive properties and other beneficial anti-cancer properties, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory,” he said.
The workshop report noted that a recent meta-analysis showed that as tea consumption increased, the risk of breast, biliary tract, endometrial, liver and oral cancers decreased.
The power of tea polyphenols
According to Mount Sinai, multiple population-based studies have shown that both green and black tea can help prevent cancer. Early clinical research suggests that polyphenols in tea, especially green tea, may play an important role in preventing cancer. The article further explains that researchers also believe that polyphenols help kill cancer cells and stop them from growing.
The National Cancer Institute also states that the main polyphenols EGCG, EGC, ECG and EC in green tea, and theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea have antioxidant activity.
Thanks to these chemicals, tea can protect cells from DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species. In laboratory and animal studies, tea polyphenols have also been shown to prevent the rapid growth of tumor cells and help cells die.
Other studies have also shown that tea polyphenols can protect against damage caused by UV-B radiation. Additionally, green tea has been shown to activate detoxification enzymes, which may help prevent tumor development.
Despite the many benefits of tea drinking, there is still no solid evidence on the relationship between tea drinking and cancer risk. Therefore, more research is needed.
Kayla Garritano
Kayla Garritano is a staff writer for Eat This, Not That! She graduated from Hofstra University with a major in journalism and a minor in marketing and creative writing.read more