Green tea is rich in antioxidant catechin polyphenols (EGCG) and the amino acid theanine. Research suggests that green tea may reduce inflammation and stress as well as prevent certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Now research reports that drinking green tea may reduce the risk of lung cancer.
The study, presented at the 2010 AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, examined the association between green tea consumption, lung cancer and smoking. Researchers at the Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan surveyed 170 lung cancer patients and 340 healthy control patients. Questionnaire responses on smoking habits, diet and family history of lung cancer were obtained from the participants. Genotyping on insulin-like growth factors (cancer biomarkers) was also obtained.
The researchers found that participants who did not drink green tea had a 5 time greater risk of lung cancer compared with those who drank one or more cups of green tea daily. Furthermore, smokers who did not drink green tea had a 16 time greater risk of lung cancer compared with those who drank one or more cups of green tea daily. Findings also revealed that green tea participants with genetically fewer growth factors had a 66% reduced risk of developing lung cancer, compared with tea drinkers with more growth factors.
“Our study may represent a clue that in the case of lung cancer, smoking-induced carcinogenesis could be modulated by green tea consumption and the growth factor environment,” says study author I-Hsin Lin, M.S., at Chung Shan Medical University, in a news release.
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