A Familiar Drink Named a Defender Against Liver Cancer 0 51

An international group of researchers from China and the United States has found that regular tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of liver cancer. The results of a large study were published in the journal Nutrients. More than 2,000 patients diagnosed with liver cancer and nearly 8,000 people without the disease participated in the study.

The scientists compared the habits of the participants, including tea consumption, the presence of hepatitis B and C viruses, smoking, alcohol consumption, and the quality of drinking water. It turned out that people who continued to drink tea at the time of the study had a 49 percent lower risk of developing liver cancer compared to non-drinkers. Meanwhile, those who had stopped drinking tea had a higher-than-average risk.

The effect was observed regardless of other risk factors: among carriers of the hepatitis B virus and those without it, among smokers and those who consumed alcohol. The protective effect of tea was particularly noticeable among alcohol consumers: the drink reduced the likelihood of liver cancer by almost half. The authors believe that the antioxidants and polyphenols in tea may play a key role in these processes.

The researchers emphasize that tea cannot replace proven preventive measures—vaccination against hepatitis B, abstaining from alcohol, and avoiding raw water. However, its regular consumption may become an additional and accessible way to reduce the risk of disease, especially for people in high-risk groups.