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Study: Tea may be key to protecting against some cancers
Web posted at: 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 GMT) From CNN Food & Health Correspondent Linda Ciampa (CNN) -- You may want to add a cup of tea to your daily menu. A new study shows tea -- either black or green, hot or cold -- may prevent some cancers, especially oral cancers. A researcher at the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine in Beijing studied 59 patients with precancerous lesions in the mouth. When patients drank or applied tea to the mouth, the precancerous cells stopped growing and the lesions began to heal.
These findings were presented Tuesday at the Second International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health, in Washington. Other new research adds weight to the idea tea may work to slow the growth of lung and colon cancers, although this has been shown with mice and not yet with people. Earlier research has shown tea may protect against heart disease and stroke. Antioxidants in tea may be responsible for the protective effects. Antioxidants stop free radicals which are harmful disease-causing compounds that can damage cells in the body. While some say tea may contain a stronger concentration of antioxidants than fruits or vegetables, experts point out tea is no magic bullet and good health requires a variety of healthy foods.
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