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CHICAGO, Dec 12, 2005 (Reuters)
The findings by researchers
at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm were based on a
look back at the habits and long-term
health of the women, the report published in the Archives of
Internal Medicine said.
Of the women recruited for the study
that began in 1987, two-thirds reported drinking tea. When
it concluded at the end of 2004, 301 participants had developed
ovarian cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease.
"We
observed a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women
who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non-drinkers," study
authors Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk wrote. "Each additional
cup of tea per day was associated with an 18 percent lower
risk of ovarian cancer."
Black and green teas are believed
to contain antioxidants that help ward off the cell mutation
that leads to cancer.
The researchers cautioned that additional
studies were needed to confirm their findings.
Ovarian cancer
will be diagnosed in about 22,000 U.S. women this year and
80 percent of cases are not detected until the cancer has spread.
That means more than 16,000 U.S. women will die of ovarian
cancer in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society.
© Reuters
2005
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Preventive
check-ups 