Tea reduces risk of ovarian cancer: study (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Women who consume two or more cups of tea daily over a period of time may lower their risk of ovarian cancer compared with women who never or seldom consume tea, according to a new study published in the December issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"We observed a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared to non-drinkers," said Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk of the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden.

The study found that each additional cup of tea consumed per day was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in study participants.

The researchers examined the association between tea consumption and the risk of ovarian cancer in 61,057 women between 40 and 76 years of age.

During 15 years of studies that began in the late 1980s, 301 women in the study group were diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

A 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer was found in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non tea drinkers and each additional cup of tea was associated with an 18 percent decreased risk of ovarian cancer.