Preventive effects of drinking green tea on cancer and cardiovascular disease: Epidemiological evidence for multiple targeting prevention

TLDR

Green tea consumption has been linked to reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in a large prospective cohort of 8,552 residents in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The study assessed life‑prolonging effects of green tea by applying a life table analysis to cumulative survival data. High green tea intake (>10 cups/day) was associated with a 46 % lower cancer incidence, delayed cancer onset, and a 22 % lower cardiovascular mortality risk compared with low intake.

Abstract

Abstract The significance of drinking green tea in prevention of two of the main lifestyle‐related diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease, was demonstrated in terms of a prospective cohort study on a total of 8,552 general residents in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. On the basis of the follow‐up study, we revealed decreased relative risk of cancer incidence for those consuming over 10 cups a day, compared with those consuming below 3 cups: 0.54 (95% men, 0.57 (0.34–0.98) for women, and 0.59 (0.35–0.98) for both sexes. Furthermore, a significant delay in cancer onset was associated with increased consumption of green tea. Next, decreased relative risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 0.58 (0.34–0.99) for men, 0.82 (0.49–1.38) for women, and 0.72 (0.60–1.04) for members of both sexes consuming over 10 cups a day. Finally, we evaluated the life‐prolonging effects of drinking green tea on cumulative survival, using the life table.