Black Tea: A New Tool to Battle Ovarian Cancer

Black tea can now prevent ovarian cancer among women who drink it over the long term

Highlights:

Drinking black tea may lower the risk of ovarian cancer
There is no evidence that black tea is linked to other gynecological tumors or cancers
Black tea acts as an adjuvant therapy, causing apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis

Drinking black tea may reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer, while no significant link with endometrial cancer or cervical cancer was discovered.

Previous research into the relationship between tea consumption and the risk of gynecologic malignancies has yielded conflicting results.

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‘Drinking black tea may help prevent ovarian cancer but not other gynecological cancers’

Chinese researchers conducted a meta-analysis based on 19 cohort studies involving 2,020,980 participants and 12,155 gynecological tumor cases to investigate this association ().

The pooled relative risk (RR) of tea consumption for ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and cervical cancer was 0.94, 1.02, and 1.06, respectively, according to the data.

Subgroup analysis revealed that non-herbal tea had a significant preventative influence on ovarian cancer (pooled RR of 0.67), particularly for black tea (pooled RR of 0.64).

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Green, black, white, oolong, yellow, and pu-erh tea are the most common types of non-herbal tea.

A nonlinear dose-response analysis also revealed a lowering trend in ovarian cancer risk when tea consumption ranged from 1.40 to 3.12 cups per day.

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However, the role of tea in preventing ovarian cancer was not significant at higher consumption levels, which the authors attribute to either a lack of data for evaluation or the fact that excessive tea drinking is less effective against tumors.

"Our findings indicated that drinking non-herbal tea could prevent ovarian cancer but not other gynecological tumors. Furthermore, the protective effect of green tea on gynecologic cancer appears to be somewhat weak and requires further cohort studies to corroborate " the authors also highlighted.

Black Tea's Anti-Cancer Properties

Historically, gynecological tumors were strongly associated with estrogen consumption and metabolism. Numerous epidemiological studies have suggested that nutrition may influence the risk and mortality of certain malignancies over time.

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Tea and its components, a popular and commonly consumed beverage, have been intensively researched for their impact on human health.

Black tea's health advantages, such as its anti-inflammatory effects, are mostly ascribed to its active components, which include flavonoids and phenolic acids.

"There is a lot of evidence that black tea can inhibit the occurrence and development of tumors by regulating oxidative damage, endogenous antioxidants, mutagenic pathways, and transcription of the antioxidant gene pool."

"Based on our findings, the anti-cancer effect of tea seems to be more focused on ovarian cancer, where it may function to induce apoptosis (a form of programmed cell death) and anti-angiogenesis (a treatment that prevents the growth of cancer by blocking new blood vessels from forming) or as adjuvant therapy," the authors explained.

The meta-analysis also highlighted the differences in the mechanisms behind the beginning and progression of various gynecological malignancies. To establish definitive conclusions, "additional randomized controlled trials and large cohort studies involving more geographical areas and tea types" are required.

It should be highlighted that the study has significant limitations, including a lack of information on other cancer risk factors such as family history and dietary intake. Furthermore, no classification of histological kinds of gynecological tumors was made. This is significant because tumors, like ovarian cancer, might exhibit variability in terms of sensitivities and responsiveness to tea components.

"Nevertheless, our study suggests that the positive effects of black tea on the intervention of ovarian tumors could be further explored," the authors reiterated.

Reference

Association between Different Types of Tea Consumption and Risk of Gynecologic Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies - (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/2/403)

Source-Medindia