If you’re a tea connoisseur and have a particular liking for oolong tea, time to rejoice, for a recent study has found many health benefits of oolong extracts, preventing breast cancer is one of them.
In case you’re not a tea connoisseur, oolong tea is a type of Chinese tea which has known benefits for the heart and brain and also prevents diabetes.
According to the study findings, this tea was used for centuries in China for its supposed health benefits successfully stopped the growth of breast cancer cells and the extract hampered the DNA of the cancer cells, inhibiting the growth and progression of tumours.
The popular green tea also showed similar results. In stark contrast, the regular black and dark tea showed little effect on the cells, according to the study.
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From our results, oolong tea, much like green tea, plays a role in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth, proliferation, and tumour progression said one of the researchers from St. Louis University in Missouri. It has great potential as a chemopreventive agent against breast cancer, the team added.
For the study, the researchers also analysed the rates of death from cancer and breast cancer from across China.
Findings, published in the journal Anticancer Research, showed that regions with high oolong tea consumption had generally lower rates of the disease.
The team also found that the rates of breast cancer in the Fujian province were 35% lower than the national average.
The death rate of high consumers of oolong tea in Fijian was 68% lower than the national average, findings further revealed.
"The lower incidence and mortality in regions with higher oolong tea consumption indicate that the tea has great potential for its anti-cancer properties," said lead author Chunfa Huang, Associate Research Professor at the varsity.
Prevention and early diagnosis were key to improving future health prospects, the study said.
