Tea intake and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: Influence of type of tea beverages

Differences in tea drinking habits are likely to vary by populations could contribute to the inconsistencies found between studies comparing tea consu mption and cancer risk. A population-based case-control study was used to e valuate how usual tea consumption patterns of an older population (n = 450) varied with history of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin. A detail ed tea questionnaire was developed to assess specific tea preparation metho ds and patterns of drinking. In this southwestern United States population, black tea was the predominant variety of tea consumed. We found no associa tion between the broad definition of any tea consumption and skin SCC, Howe ver, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for hot and iced black tea intake were 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.36-1.10] and 1.02 (95% CI, 0.64-1.63) , respectively. Controls were more likely to report usually drinking strong hot tea (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.53-1.03) with increased brewing time (P for t rend = 0.03). Adjusting for brewing time, the association between skin SCC and hot black tea consumption suggests a significantly lower risk in consum ers of hot tea compared to nonconsumers (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12- 0.87). Thi s is one of the first studies to explore the relation between different typ es of tea consumption and occurrence of human cancers. Our results show tha t tea concentration (strength), brewing time, and beverage temperature have major influences on the potential protective effects of hot black tea in r elation to skin SCC, Further studies with increased sample sizes are needed to evaluate the interrelationships between preparation techniques, tea typ e, and other life-style factors.