Drinking tea or coffee could provide health benefits for cancer patients, according to a new study.
High consumption of coffee or tea was found to reduce cancer progression by 24%, based on findings from an international study led by Italian researchers at the IRCCS European Institute of Oncology.
While both hot drinks offer health benefits, tea appears to be even more advantageous.
“It appears that several metabolic pathways exist that coffee and tea have the potential to modulate in order to hinder tumour progression and prolong survival,” the researchers said.
The team compared high and low consumption of both drinks among patients, whether they had already received a diagnosis or not. Participants consumed regular and decaffeinated coffee, as well as black and green tea.
Researchers found that both coffee and tea had positive effects on colorectal cancer, while tea alone was linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer.
“Coffee and tea intake has been suggested to favourably affect survival of cancer patients, but studies published so far produced conflicting results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarise the existing evidence on the association between coffee and tea consumption and cancer survival across different types of cancers,” the study concluded.
