Green tea consumption

Green tea, consumed hot or cold, is most common in Japan and China and is growing rapidly in the United States owing to the numerous reports of health benefits. The market has doubled from about 110 metric tons in 1993 to just over 227 t in 1996. Green tea consumption in the United States remains a small segment (less than 2%) of the total tea market. 

Green tea consumption and the risk of pancreatic and colorectal cancers , Int J Cancer, 70, 255-8. 

Yu, G., Hsieh, C., Wang, L., Yu, S., Li, X., et al, Green-tea consumption of risk of stomach cancer A population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China, Cancer Causes Control, 6, 532, 1995. 

Kuriyama S, Shimazu T, Ohmori K, Kikuchi N, Nakaya N, Nishino Y, Tsubono Y and Tsuji I. 2006. Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan the Ohsaki study. JAMA 296 1255-1265. 

Although the effect of caffeine cannot be distinguished from the effects of coffee and green tea, consumption of caffeine-containing beverages favorably altered hormone levels associated with the risk of developing breast cancer . 

Gao YT, McLaughlin JK, Blot WJ, Ji BT, Dai Q, Eraumeni JF. Reduced risk of esophageal cancer associated with green tea consumption. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994 86 855-858. 

In another cohort study of a Japanese population, researcher surveyed more than 8000 individuals over 40 years of age on their living habits, including daily consumption of green tea. Results found a negative association between green tea consumption and cancer incidence, especially among females drinking more than 10 cups per day [212]. 

Among the major groups of flavonoids in the human diet are the flavonols, proanthocyanidins (which include the catechins), isoflavonoids, flavones, and flavanones. The closely related lignans (resorcyclic acid lactones) have similar properties as flavonoids, and are therefore included here for completeness. Quercetin, a flavonol, is the most predominant flavonoid in the human diet and estimates of human consumption are in the range of 4 to 68 mg/day. Among these studies, the Japanese population had the highest levels of flavonol intake, which was mainly attributed to their green tea consumption. 

The cancers that exhibited a significant inverse relationship between green tea consumption and disease incidence are colon, rectal, pancreatic, stomach, ovarian, and gastrointestinal tract cancers. In most of the cases, the epidemiological data were... 

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