Herbal Tea Reduces Risk of Ovarian Cancer
By Michael Castleman
The Herb Quarterly Magazine, Summer 2006
Readers of this column should recall that tea (Camellia sinensis) is
super-high in antioxidants, and many studies show it reduces risk of heart
disease and several cancers, including breast cancer. Now you can add ovarian
cancer to the list.
Swedish researchers tracked the health and diets of 61,000 Swedish women for
15 years. At the start of the study, the women ranged in age from 40 to 76.
Two-thirds of them drank tea, mostly black tea, at least once a month. By the
end of the follow-up period, those women who drank two or more cups a day had a
46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who drank no tea. Each
additional cup a day reduced the risk another 18 percent. The Swedish study is
the first one to identify an easy, substantially effective way to prevent
ovarian cancer. (Until this study, surgically removing the ovaries was the only
method known to prevent cancer.)
A recent Chinese study shows that green tea extends the survival of women
with ovarian cancer. The researchers followed 294 women with ovarian cancer for
three years (137 were regular tea drinkers, while 157 were not). After three
years, 49 percent of the women who did not drink tea were still alive, while in
the tea group, 80 percent survived.
The early stages of ovarian cancer reveal very subtle symptoms - abdominal
fullness and bloating - that often go unnoticed or ignored. As a result, the
disease often advances before it is diagnosed, reducing the chances of survival.
For breast cancer survivors, who are at increased risk for ovarian cancer,
drinking tea may also be an effective, preventative measure.
You can find both decaffeinated black and green tea in your supermarket or
natural foods store. These studies make powerful arguments for drinking tea; so
if you're already a tea drinker, consider increasing your daily intake. If you
don't drink tea, I have just one question: Why not?
Natural Health Hut
