Nature’s Cancer Fighters

Abundant in flavonols and flavanones, tea and citrus fruits and juices associate with a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer.

In the United States, about 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and globally, the disease is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among women. Aedin Cassidy, from the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 171,940 study subjects enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II, examining associations between intakes of total flavonoids and their subclasses (flavanones, flavonols, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavones, and polymeric flavonoids) and risk of ovarian cancer Food surveys were collected from subjects every 4 years. During 16-22 years of follow-up, 723 cases of ovarian cancer were confirmed through medical records. Data analysis revealed that those participants who consumed food and drinks high in flavonols (found in tea, red wine, apples and grapes) and flavanones (found in citrus fruit and juices) were less likely to develop the disease. In particular, just a couple of cups of black tea every day was associated with a 31% reduction in risk. The study authors conclude that: “Higher intakes of flavonols and flavanones as well as black tea consumption may be associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer."