Women who drink tea and consume citrus fruits and juices could have a reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer, new research suggests.
It was found that women who consumed foods and drinks that were high in two groups of flavonoids – flavonols such as tea and red wine and flavanones such as citrus fruits, were less likely to develop ovarian cancer by up to 31 percent compared to women who consumed less, according to new research from the UK and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers analyzed data taken from the Nurses’ Health Study spanning more than three decades including the dietary habits of 171,940 women aged between 25 and 55.
It was the first comprehensive study that looked into how regular consumption of types of these flavonoids could reduce the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. The researchers examined six major flavonoid subgroups that are present in a diet associated with ovarian cancer risk.
It was shown that those who incorporated tea and citrus fruits and juices into their diet could reduce the risk of ovarian cancer which is a disease that affects more than 6,500 women in the UK. It is estimated that more than 20,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Ovarian Cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the ovaries. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries — each about the size of an almond — produce eggs (ova) as well as the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
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