Search Here

Consumption of tea and citrus fruits can cut risk of ovarian cancer, a new study claims.

University of East Anglia studied dietary habits of 171,940 women aged between 25 and 55 years, to arrive at their conclusions. They found that women who consumed copious amounts of flavonols and flavonones cut their risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer, the Daily Mail Reported.

"This is the first large-scale study looking into whether habitual intake of different flavonoids can reduce the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.We found that women who consume foods high in two sub-groups of powerful substances called flavonoids - flavonols and flavanones - had a significantly lower risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer," said lead author Prof Aedin Cassidy, from the university's Department of Nutrition at the Norwich Medical School, in a press release.

These compounds are present in tea, red wine, apples and citrus fruits.

"The main sources of these compounds include tea and citrus fruits and juices, which are readily incorporated into the diet, suggesting that simple changes in food intake could have an impact on reducing ovarian cancer risk," Prof Cassidy said.

"In particular, just a couple of cups of black tea every day was associated with a 31 per cent reduction in risk."

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women. While 6,800 women in the UK are diagnosed every year, nearly 20,000 women in the US learn of their disease. The cancer is often detected in late stages as it does not present symptoms during early stages. The five-year survival rates are at 47 percent. Experts point out that the key is to detect it early on.

'It is always welcome to see reports of how women might go about avoiding ovarian cancer. But the key in beating this disease is in identifying its symptoms early on," Daily Mail quoted Louise Bayne, of the charity Ovacome.