Large daily intake of Green Tea may lower the risk of lymphomas and leukemia

Drinking five or more cups of green tea per day may reduce the risk of blood- and lymph-based cancers by about 50 per cent, says a new study from Japan. Compared to people who drank only one cup per day, five cups of green tea a day were associated with a 42% reduction in hematologic malignancies, and a 48% reduction in lymphoid neoplasms, according to findings of researchers from Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan.

The scientists followed 41,761 adults participating in the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study, for an average period of nine years. A questionnaire completed at the start of the study allowed the researchers to quantify green tea consumption. During nine years of follow-up, the researchers documented 157 hematologic malignancies, including 119 cases of lymphoid neoplasms and 36 cases of myeloid neoplasms.

The risk reductions observed for people who drank five or more cups a day, compared to those who drank only cup, was not affected by the gender of the participants, or their body mass index. The study is published online ahead of print American Journal of Epidemiology