Drinking tea lowers risk of bile stones and cancer

Drinking tea reduces the risk of bile stones and protects against a variety of cancers, including gastrointestinal malignancies, especially in women. Bile stones, which are often seen in women and have been linked to obesity, occur in the ducts that transfer bile from the liver to the small intestine. If the stones block the opening of the bile duct, they can cause discomfort and pain, typically located just below the rib cage on the right side of the abdomen. At this stage, gallbladder removal, or cholecystectomy, is often required. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland found that biliary tract cancers are rare but highly fatal. Apart from gallstones, other causative factors for biliary tract cancer are not clearly defined. Several studies have suggested that consumption of tea, especially green tea, is protective against a variety of cancers. The researchers examined the effects of tea consumption on the risk of biliary tract cancers and biliary stones. The study included 627 patients with biliary tract cancer, 1,037 with biliary stones, and 959 comparison subjects. The analysed the data they received from the demographics, medical and dietary factors, and tea consumption. Tea drinkers were defined as those who drank at least one cup of tea per day for at least 6 months. Of the 959 control subjects, 394 (41 percent) were ardent tea drinkers. In women, drinking at least one cup of tea everyday for at least 6 months seemed to reduce the risk of bile stones by 27 percent, gallbladder cancer by 44 percent, and bile duct cancer by 35 percent. In men, tea drinking had a similar effect, but not of similar magnitude, as seen in women. The findings suggest that certain chemicals in tea might prevent cells from growing abnormally and may have anti-inflammatory effects that reduce the risk of bile tract diseases.