The Antioxidant Green Tea Plays Important Role in Women’s Health

By VRP Staff

Women who drink green tea may have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer, a new study has noted.

Past epidemiological and animal data suggest that tea and tea polyphenols may be protective against various cancers. Consequently, researchers from the Vanderbilt School of Medicine undertook the current study to further explore the potential link between green tea consumption and breast cancer.

The researchers compared the diets of 3,454 women with breast cancer and 3,474 healthy controls aged between 20 and 74.

Compared with nondrinkers, regular green tea drinkers experienced a modest, 12 percent decreased risk for breast cancer. Among premenopausal women, the reduced risk was associated with the number of years they had been drinking green tea. The study authors also noted a dose-response relationship, with the women who drank the most tea per month experiencing the greatest reduced risk.

Reference:
Shrubsole MJ, Lu W, Chen Z, Shu XO, Zheng Y, Dai Q, Cai Q, Gu K, Ruan ZX, Gao YT, Zheng W. Drinking green tea modestly reduces breast cancer risk. J Nutr. 2009 Feb;139(2):310-6.

Individuals who do not want to consume large amounts of green tea can take green tea extract capsules. Our green tea extract is very low in caffeine and has a high EGCG content.