Drink tea, it’s good for you

NEW YORK: Results of a study conducted in China indicate that drinking tea reduces the risk of bile stones and cancer, especially among 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. At times a gallbladder removal, or “cholecystectomy,” is often required. Also, “biliary tract cancers...are rare but highly fatal,” Dr Ann W Hsing, of the National Cancer Institute, Maryland, and colleagues write in the International Journal of Cancer.

Several studies “have suggested that consumption of tea, especially green tea, is protective against a variety of cancers.”

In the new study, the researchers examined the effects of tea consumption on the risk of biliary tract cancers and biliary stones.

The team obtained data on demographics, medical and dietary factors, and tea consumption from study participants. Tea drinkers were defined as those who drank at least one cup of tea per day for at least 6 months.

In women, drinking at least one cup of tea per day for at least 6 months seemed to cut the risks of bile stones by 27 per cent, gallbladder cancer by 44 per cent, and bile duct cancer by 35 per cent.

Some chemicals in tea may prevent cells from growing abnormally and may have anti-inflammatory effects that reduce the risk of these bile tract diseases, Hsing’s team says.