(Medical Xpress) -- Men who are heavy tea drinkers may be more likely to develop prostate cancer, according to research from scientists at the University of Glasgow which is published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.
The study, which was led by Dr Kashif Shafique of the Institute of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow tracked the health of more than 6,000 male volunteers over a period of 37 years and discovered that those who drank more than seven cups of
tea per day had a 50% higher risk of developing prostate cancer compared with non-tea drinkers or those drinking less than 4 cups per day.
The Midspan Collaborative study began in Scotland in 1970 and gathered data from more than 6,000 male volunteers, all between 21 and 75 years of age. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their usual consumption of tea, coffee, alcohol, smoking habits and general health, and attended a screening examination.
Just under a quarter of the 6,016 men included in the study were heavy tea drinkers. Of these, 6.4% developed prostate cancer during a follow-up of up to 37 years. Researchers found that men who drank more than seven cups of tea per day had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those who drank no tea or less than 4 cups per day.