Carcinogenesis Advance Access originally published online on August 27, 2007
Carcinogenesis 2007 28(10):2143-2148; doi:10.1093/carcin/bgm171
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Green tea and black tea consumption in relation to colorectal cancer risk: the Singapore Chinese Health Study
Division of Population Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
1 Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
2 Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 626 256 4673 ext. 64124; Fax: +1 626 930 5387; Email: casun{at}coh.org
The relationships between green tea and black tea consumption and colorectal cancer risk were examined within the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective cohort study of diet and cancer involving >60 000 men and women. Intake of green tea and black tea was assessed through in-person interviews. Incident cancer cases and deaths among cohort members were identified through record linkage of the cohort database with respective databases from the nationwide Singapore Cancer Registry and the Singapore Registry of Births and Deaths. The proportional hazard regression method was used to examine the associations between intake of green and black tea separately and colorectal cancer risk with adjustment for potential confounders. After an average of 8.9 years of follow-up, 845 colorectal cancer cases were identified. Subjects who drank green tea exhibited a statistically non-significant increase in risk [relative risk (RR) = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.97–1.29] relative to non-drinkers of green tea. This risk increase was mainly confined to men (RR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.08–1.58); the comparable RR in women was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.71–1.12). In men, the green tea–colorectal cancer association was noted mainly in those with advanced disease (Duke C or D) (RR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.19–1.97), and the association was dose dependent (P for trend = 0.0002). This latter association was especially strong within the colon subsite (RR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.24–2.46; P for trend < 0.0001). Irrespective of gender, intake of black tea was not associated with risk of colorectal cancer (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.79–1.07) in this Asian population.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; ECG, epicatechin gallate; EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate; FFQ, food frequency questionnaire; RR, relative risk
Received March 16, 2007; revised July 9, 2007; accepted July 19, 2007.