Is there a link between tea and cancer prevention? It’s a question that’s been the subject of a considerable amount of study in recent years and one that we’ve reported on in these pages a number of times. Look to the following links for some background on tea’s possible effects on ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer.

Results from one of the more recent glimpses at the connection between tea and cancer prevention are due to be published in November 2010 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and are available on the Web now. The study in question looked at the effectiveness of tea (and that other hot drink – coffee) in reducing the risk of brain cancer. In the United States, according to figures posted by Web MD, “brain tumors affect about 1 of every 5000 people.” For Web MD’s take on this study, look here.

The research group looking into this problem was led by Dominique Michaud, a researcher at Brown University, in the United States. She directed the study, which analyzed results from another project, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The EPIC project examined more than 410,000 test subjects from a total of nine countries.

Researchers discovered that study participants who drank at least 100 milliliters of tea or coffee daily were at a lower risk for glioma brain tumors. They pointed to the high levels of antioxidants on tea and coffee as a possible reason for this result but also cautioned that preparation methods could have an effect on the level of antioxidants in a cup of either beverage.

For what it’s worth, trivia fans, the heaviest tea drinkers in the nine countries involved in the study were located, not surprisingly, in the United Kingdom. Participants from Spain drank the least tea.

For an abstract of the study and information on ordering the full text, look here.

Don’t miss William’s blog, Tea Guy Speaks!

[Editor’s note: Our blog is chock full of great articles on this topic. Use our search feature to find them!]

© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.