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Green tea and gastrointestinal cancer risk
Author(s) -
Borrelli F.,
Capasso R.,
Russo A.,
Ernst E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.01884.x
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , cancer , gastrointestinal cancer , incidence (geometry) , chemoprotective , stomach cancer , environmental health , gastroenterology , traditional medicine , colorectal cancer , physics , optics
Summary Background : Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in the world. Therefore, numerous efforts are being made to find chemoprotective substances able to reduce its incidence. Amongst these, green tea, one of the most popular beverages world‐wide, has been reported to provide protective effects against gastrointestinal cancer. Aim : To critically evaluate all epidemiological studies reporting an association between green tea consumption and a reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancer. Methods : Epidemiological studies of green tea consumption in relation to gastrointestinal cancer or preneoplastic lesions were identified through computerized literature searches using the following databases: Medline (Pubmed), Embase, Amed, CISCOM, Phytobase and Cochrane Library. Only epidemiological studies indicating the type of tea (green tea) and the site of either cancer or precancerous lesions (stomach or intestine) were included. No language restrictions were imposed. Results : Twenty‐one epidemiological investigations met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Conclusion : These studies seemed to suggest a protective effect of green tea on adenomatous polyps and chronic atrophic gastritis formations. By contrast, there was no clear epidemiological evidence to support the suggestion that green tea plays a role in the prevention of stomach and intestinal cancer.