Women, green tea and colon cancer risk: Middle age and older women who drink 3 or more cups of mostly green tea each week have lower risk of colon, esophagus and other digestive system cancers, suggests this large study conducted among 70,000 Chinese women. Study researchers gathered data on tea drinking and other lifestyle habits when the women entered the study, at ages 40 to 70, and every two to three years thereafter. In the study about 28 percent of women were regular tea drinkers, defined as drinking at least 3 cups of tea a week for at least 6 months. After 11 years, researchers found that regular tea drinkers had a 14% reduced risk of all digestive system cancers combined, compared to non-tea drinkers. Drinking two to three cups daily – as opposed to three cups weekly – reduced their risk even more: 21%. This large prospective cohort study found that tea consumption was associated with reduced risk of colorectal and stomach/esophageal cancers in Chinese women. (16)
