Tea linked to lower risk of bile stones and cancer

Drinking at least one cup of tea a day could cut the risk of cancer in the gallbladder and bile ducts by about 40 per cent, suggests a population-based study from China.

The new study, published in the June issue of the International Journal of Cancer (Vol. 118, pp. 3089-3094), adds to the body of science by considering the effects of tea drinking on cancer in the gallbladder and bile ducts, cancers that are described as “rare but highly fatal malignancies.”

The researchers, led by Ann Hsing from the US National Cancer Institute, assessed the demographic, medical and dietary histories of 627 people with bile tract cancers (cases), 1037 people with bile stones, and 959 randomly selected healthy controls. The sample population was based in Shanghai, China, where the incidence of these types of cancers is reported to have increased in recent years. Tea drinkers were defined as anyone who drank at least one cup of tea per day for at least half a year. Specifically, women tea drinkers had associated reduced risks of gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, and bile stones of 44, 35, and 27 per cent, respectively.

For men, no significant association was observed for tea drinkers and the relative risk of these conditions. These results may have been affected, wrote Hsing and her colleagues, by the high number of smokers amongst the men, which may affect the incidence of these types of cancers.