TEA, CITRUS FRUITS COULD LOWER OVARIAN CANCER RISK
Tea and citrus fruits and juices are associated with a lower risk of
developing ovarian cancer, according to new research from the University of
East Anglia (UEA).
The
research reveals that women who consume foods containing flavonols and
flavanones (both subclasses of dietary flavonoids) significantly decrease their
risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer, the fifth-leading cause of cancer
death among women.
The
research team studied the dietary habits of 171,940 women aged between 25 and
55 for more than three decades.
The
team found that those who consumed food and drinks high in flavonols (found in
tea, red wine, apples and grapes) and flavanones (found in citrus fruit and
juices) were less likely to develop the disease.
Ovarian
cancer affects more than 6,500 women in the UK each year. In the United States,
about 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year.
Prof
Aedin Cassidy, from the Department of Nutrition at UEA's Norwich Medical
School, led the study. She said: "This is the first large-scale study
looking into whether habitual intake of different flavonoids can reduce the
risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.
"We
found that women who consume foods high in two sub-groups of powerful
substances called flavonoids -- flavonols and flavanones -- had a significantly
lower risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer.
"The
main sources of these compounds include tea and citrus fruits and juices, which
are readily incorporated into the diet, suggesting that simple changes in food
intake could have an impact on reducing ovarian cancer risk.
"In
particular, just a couple of cups of black tea every day was associated with a
31 per cent reduction in risk."
The
research was the first to comprehensively examine the six major flavonoid
subclasses present in the normal diet with ovarian cancer risk, and the first
to investigate the impact of polymers and anthocyanins.
The
study was led by Prof Cassidy and Prof Shelley Tworoger, from the Brigham and
Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Data was derived from the Nurses'
Health Study.
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