Drinking Herbal Tea may Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer: Study

A recent study conducted by researchers from Curtin University shows that herbal tea could help lower the risk of distal colon cancer.

"Whether or not the relationship between the herbal tea and decreased risk of cancer is a "real" effect needs to be confirmed in other studies," Curtin University Professor Lin Fritschi stated according to Medical Xpress. "One of the reasons people who drink herbal tea may have a reduced risk is that overall, they have a healthier diet than those who don't. The tea might just be a marker for that, not the actual protective factor."

The study examined the benefits of various types of beverages, including hot coffee, iced coffee, herbal tea and black tea in fighting against colon cancer. For the study, researchers examined a case-control experiment based on colorectal cancer that was conducted in Western Australia from 2005 to 2007. An analysis of the results showed that herbal tea decreased the risk of colon cancer. However, researchers also found that hot coffee could increase the risk of distal colon cancer.

Yet more studies will need to be conducted in order to determine the legitimacy of the findings. For instance, a recent study from 2014 conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California found that drinking coffee could decrease the risk of colon cancer.

"One strength of this study was the use of pathology reports for accurate determination of site-of-cancer origin in the large bowel," Fritschi added. "A further strength was the measurement of tea and coffee, which included the type, frequency and amount consumed."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the article "Tea, coffee, and milk consumption and colorectal cancer risk," that was published in the journal PubMed.