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Tea, coffee don't cut breast cancer risk in black women - study

10/24/2010 15:53:00 admin

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A study published in the Nov 2010 issue of Cancer Causes and Control suggests that drinking tea or coffee may not reduce risk of breast cancer among African-American women.

The study led by Boggs D.A. and colleagues from Boston University in Boston Massachusetts found no association between drinking tea and coffee and reduced risk of breast cancer in black women.

For the study, the researchers analysed data on tea and coffee consumption collected between 1995 and 2001 from 52,062 women aged 21 to 69 at baseline in 1995 in the Black Women's Health Study.

During 12 years of follow-up through 2007, 1268 incident cases of breast cancer were identified.

Boggs et al. reported intakes of tea, coffee, and caffeine were not significantly correlated with risk of breast cancer overall.

Tea consumption seemed to provide some benefits. Black women who drank 4 cups or more per day were 13 percent less likely to develop breast cancer compared to those who did not drink. But the association was considered insignificant.

Coffee and caffeine were not associated with the risk of breast cancer.

The researchers of the current study concluded that "Our findings suggest that intakes of tea, coffee, and caffeine are not associated with the risk of breast cancer among African-American women."

It should be noted that it is unknown the researcher adequately assessed consumption of tea and coffee among the study population. It has been reported that bottled tea provides little tea polyphenols, which have been shown to be protective against cancer.

That is, if the researchers counted those who were drinking bottle tea as tea drinkers, the potential benefits may have been underestimated.

Secondly, this study is not a trial. Many other confounders may also affect the risk of breast cancer in this group of women.

Thirdly, even if the association between drinking tea and coffee and risk of breast cancer was indeed non-existent, the results may not apply to other ethnic groups or the same ethnic group in other countries.

Polyphenols found in green tea, to say the least, have been found to promote apoptosis in cancer cells, according to research conducted by Rutgers University researchers like Dr. C.S. Yang. It is believed that green tea extract may help prevent cancer.

One study reported here at foodconsumer.org suggests that drinking decaffeinated green tea helps breast cancer improve metabolic biomarkers.

More reports will be published here in the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to help readers better understand the disease and how to prevent it.

Jimmy Downs

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