Tea has been sipped for its stimulating effects and healthful benefits for centuries. Monks and priests in China drank tea to help keep them awake during long meditations. Proponents of tea claim many health benefits from daily drinking of tea including lowering your risk of getting various types of cancer. Studies on the health benefits of tea include population-based studies and laboratory research. Many of the healthful benefits of tea come from its antioxidant content.
Black Tea
Black tea comes from the Camellia sinesis bush and is aged, dried and processed before being packaged as loose or bag tea. Black tea is the most popular of the various tea types and is drunk warm or cold. Black tea may reduce your risk of ovarian cancer if you drink it regularly, notes MedlinePlus. Drinking a cup of black tea regularly may also help reduce your risk of rectal cancer, according to a study published in the July 2003 issue of the "Annals of Epidemiology." The population-based study evaluated 663 tea drinkers and 323 control subjects and found that black tea drinkers had a lower incidence of rectal cancer, which increased with the use of dry tea over concentrate.
Green Tea
Green tea also comes from the Camellia sinesis plant. However, the leaves are processed to prevent fermentation and oxidation, which gives it higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than black tea. If you drink green tea regularly, it may help lower your risk for certain types cancer including bladder, pancreatic, esophageal and ovarian. Drinking green tea may also have a small impact on your risk of getting breast cancer, according to a study published in the February 2009 issue of "The Journal of Nutrition." The study evaluated the relationship between green tea consumption and breast cancer in a large population-based study in Shangahai, China. During the time frame 1996 to 2005, 3,454 green tea drinkers and 3,474 control subjects were evaluated according to their consumption habits, age, duration of use, tea strength and quantity of tea. The study found a small relationship between reduced breast cancer risk and premenopausal women, which was related to how much tea they drank daily, how often and how many years they had been drinking green tea. In postmenopausal women, there was a stronger relationship between intake and recent usage.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are plant infusions and generally do not come from the Camellia sinesis plant. Typically, herbal teas use dried fruits, flowers or herbs as the base of the tea. One herbal tea containing wogonin, a plant flavonoid or antioxidant, inhibits cancer cell growth in the human lung, according to a report published in the November 2008 issue of "Molecular Nutrition & Food Research." A large variety of herbal teas are used for their various health benefits, but few studies have collectively analyzed the relationships between herbal teas and lowered cancer risks.
White Tea
White tea is an unfermented tea made from young tea leaves. White tea combined with sulindac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, inhibited cancer tumor growth in mice, according to a study at the Linus Pauling Institute. Mice with sporadic colon cancer were administered white tea in combination with sulindac, which significantly reduced tumor formation in the mice.
References
- "The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide"; Mary Lou Heiss, Robert J. Heiss; 2007
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; Can Coffee, Tea Lower Brain Cancer Risk?; Alan Mozes; November 2010
- MedlinePlus: Black tea
- "Annals of Epidemiology"; Black Tea Consumption and Risk of Rectal Cancer in Moscow Population; I. Dora, et al.; July 2003
- MedlinePlus: Green tea
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Drinking Green Tea Modestly Reduces Breast Cancer Risk; M.J. Shrubsole, et al.; February 2009
