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Posted on Jan 25, 2010, 6 a.m.
A Taiwan study finds that not only may drinking green tea exert a protective effect for non-smokers, but may also modulate the effect of smoking, on lung cancer.
Green tea is especially high in polyphenols, a potent type of antioxidant, and previous studies have shown that drinking green tea may confer anti-cancer benefits. I-Hsin Lin, from Chung Shan Medical University (Taiwan), and colleagues completed a study involving 170 participants with lung cancer and 340 healthy counterparts (control subjects). Obtaining demographic data, cigarette smoking habits, green tea consumption, dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, cooking practices and family history of lung cancer via questionnaires, the team also performed genotyping on insulin-like growth factors as polymorphisms that have been previously associated with cancer risk. The researchers found that among smokers and non-smokers, those who did not drink green tea had a 5.16-fold increased risk of lung cancer, as compared with those who drank at least one cup of green tea per day. Among smokers, those who did not drink green tea at all had a 12.71-fold increased risk of lung cancer, as compared with those who drank at least one cup of green tea per day.
“Green Tea Could Modify the Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Lung Cancer Risk,” Press Release by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 12 January 2010.
