Prostate cancer risk higher for heavy tea drinkers

Rowena Ryan

Rowena Ryan has written 6 posts.

Rowena is a freelance writer who has combined her love of writing with her passion for health care. Completing a Bachelor of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney, Rowena worked as a journalist before undertaking a Masters of Nursing. It was here that she developed valuable insight into the Australian healthcare industry gaining first hand experience in hospitals, community health and general practice. With a focus on prevention and healthy ageing Rowena explores current issues, trends and research to help consumers and professionals make educated choices.
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. Nutrition, Prevention ? By Rowena Ryan on August 16, 2012

A new study from Scotland published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer has found that men who are heavy tea drinkers may be at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer.

6,016 Scottish men aged from 21 to 75 years who were enrolled in the Midspan Collaborative study between 1970 and 1973 and were followed for up to 37 years. The men had filled in questionnaires about their general health, smoking habits, and usual consumption of tea, coffee, and alcohol, and they also attended a screening examination. When researchers analysed the data they found a statistically significant link between tea drinking and overall risk of developing prostate cancer.

?We don?t know whether tea itself is a risk factor or if tea drinkers are generally healthier and live to an older age when prostate cancer is more common anyway?? says Study leader Dr Kashif Shafique of the Institute of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow

They found the men who drank the most tea, more than seven cups a day, just under a quarter of all the men, had a 50% higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those who drank the least, 0 to 3 cups a day. Overall, 6.4% of the men who drank the most tea developed prostate cancer during the study period, compared with 4.6% of those who consumed the least.

?Whilst it does appear that of the 6,000 men who took part in this study those who drank seven or more cups of tea each day had an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, this did not take into consideration family history or any other dietary elements other than tea, coffee and alcohol intake. It is therefore unclear as to whether there were other factors in play which may have had a greater impact on risk.? Says Dr Kate Holmes, Head of Research at The Prostate Cancer Charity

Based on these varying findings ?further research is needed to determine the underlying biological mechanisms for the association? says Shafique, heavy tea drinking is linked to prostate cancer but may not be the cause of it.

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This article has been repurposed from content provided by Nutrition and Cancer:

?Tea Consumption and the Risk of Overall and Grade Specific Prostate Cancer: A Large Prospective Cohort Study of Scottish Men?; Kashif Shafique, Philip McLoone, Khaver Qureshi, Hing Leung, Carole Hart & David S. Morrison; Nutrition and Cancer published online 14 June 2012; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01635581.2012.690063

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Source: http://www.slowagingblog.com/prevention/prostate-cancer-risk-higher-heavy-tea-drinkers

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