Green Tea May Protect against Cancer

Green tea has been getting a lot of attention lately for its potential ability to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s. There are also tantalizing data to suggest that green tea might have some protective effects against prostate, lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Now a new study from Japan bolsters that evidence. The researchers followed more than 40,000 adults for nine years and looked for signs of lymph system cancer. People who drank 5 or more cups of green tea daily were 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with any blood cancers and nearly 50 percent less likely to be diagnosed with a lymphatic cancer. The researchers recommend further study to determine whether this association will hold up under closer scientific scrutiny.

[American Journal of Epidemiology, Sept 15, 2009]