New research published in the December 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine says that drinking two cups of tea everyday reduces the risk of developing ovarian cancer by 46 percent.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute tracked the health of 61,057 women between the ages of 40 and 76 during 1987 to 2004. They found 301 who were diagnosed with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer during this time. When the study started two-thirds of the participants reported that they drank tea at least once a month. "We observed a 46 per cent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non-drinkers," said the study's authors, Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk. "Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18 per cent lower risk of ovarian cancer." They added that although many studies had highlighted the benefits of tea as concerns cancer, a study about ovarian cancer was being conducted for the first time. However, the authors add that further studies are needed to confirm their findings. "Because prospective data on this relationship are scarce, our findings need confirmation by future studies," they concluded. There were no benefits associated with the consumption of coffee.
