Content antioxidants in green tea have long been known to prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, recent research in Japan shows no relationship at all between green tea consumption with risk of breast cancer.
Several previous studies mentioned that green tea consumption may help protect women from breast cancer. This is because the content of polyphenol compounds contained in green tea can indeed protect against breast cancer.
Polyphenols belong to a powerful antioxidant. This compound will neutralize free radicals that cause cancer. However, recent large-scale study in Japan showed different findings. Drinking green tea have absolutely no relation with breast health. These findings were published online in the October 28 edition of the journal Breast Cancer Research.
"We found no overall relationship between green tea intake and breast cancer risk among Japanese women who used to drink green tea," said study leader, Dr MOTOKI Iwasaki, from the epidemiology and prevention at the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo, Japan.
"Our findings suggest that consumption of green tea is drunk regularly is not possible to reduce the risk of someone suffering from breast cancer," he said as quoted by page Healthday.com.
For this study, Iwasaki team members collected data from 53,793 women who were surveyed between 1995 and 1998. They ask the question how many of the participants are consuming green tea.
This question was given at the beginning of the study and submitted back five years later. During the second survey, the researchers also asked about the two kinds of green tea Sencha and Bancha / Genmaicha.
Researchers noted, among women, approximately 12% of them consume less than one cup of green tea a week. While the other 27% drank five or more cups a day.
This study also included female respondents who drank more than 10 cups a day. For nearly 14 years monitored, 350 women from the study participants had breast cancer.
However, the researchers found no association between green tea and the risk of breast cancer. In the study, Iwasaki said that one strength of this research is already enactment of goals to be achieved so that the number of participants to information collected before diagnosis of breast cancer.
"So avoid the bias that is usually inherent in research that uses case study method," he said.
Dr. Stephanie Bernik, breast cancer surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, United States, said it was difficult to say that there is no benefit at all from consuming green tea.
"Maybe there is no benefit, specifically for breast cancer," he said.
Bernik noted that many women who have breast cancer are interested in alternative medicine when medical treatment from the West can not heal.
"We always seek further knowledge about how to treat breast cancer and reduce the incidence of breast cancer," he said.
"Women definitely interested in what way they can have a healthy lifestyle," continued Bernik.
Jennifer J Hu, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Miami School of Medicine's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, United States, adding that the problem with the study of population-based is that when you try to see one single factor, you will not take into account the risk factors Another conclusion that can affect research.
"Also, just by drinking green tea, you do not get enough of the way (possibly compound to fight cancer) to make much difference," he said.
Based on these problems, Hu did not think that this research is to answer the question whether or not green tea may help someone prevent breast cancer.
Breast cancer deserve to be regarded as a frightening disease for a woman. In the world, breast cancer is the second largest cause of death after lung cancer, followed by colon cancer.
While in Indonesia, the number of patients with breast cancer ranked second only to cervical cancer (cervical). The high number of cases of suspected breast cancer because women are less aware of breast changes that often causes breast cancer is detected at an advanced stage.
In fact, early detection and increased vigilance along the appropriate treatment is believed to reduce the number of deaths due to breast cancer.
Specific causes of breast cancer is still unknown. However, there are many factors that are estimated to have an influence on the occurrence of breast cancer. Among family history, menstruation or menopause too young at the age of 50 years, gave birth to their first child over the age of 35 years, diets with excessive fat consumption, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, genetic factors, and others.