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Research Update
A population-based case-control study examined the association
between past consumption of green tea and the risk of lung cancer among women living in Shanghai, China. There were 649 cancer cases selected among women diagnosed for lung cancer from February 1992 through January 1994 using the Shanghai Cancer Registry. For the control group, 675 women were randomly selected from the Shanghai Residential Registry. The green tea consumption for both groups was ascertained through face-to-face interviews. Consumption of green tea was found to be associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer among non-smokers but not among smokers. Also among non-smokers, the risks of lung cancer decreased with increasing tea consumption. Epidemiology 2001 Nov; 12(6):695-700
A recently published study from Canada investigated
anticariogenic effects of black tea in caries-prone rats. The rats were fed caries-prone diets with either 2% black tea infusion, fluoridated water or fluoride free water for 14 days. The data showed that rats consuming black tea (prepared with fluoride-free water) or fluoridated water had significantly fewer dental caries than did the control group consuming non-fluoridated water. These data indicate that black tea consumption for two weeks attenuated the progression of caries in caries-prone young rats. Quintessence Int 2001;32:647-650
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“If thou art cold, tea will warm thee,
If thou art hot, tea will cool thee,
If thou art sad, tea will cheer thee,
If thou art cross, tea will calm thee.”
William Ewart Gladstone, 19th Century British Prime Minister
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Historical Tea Highlights
The First Tea Shop
By 1717, tea drinking had gained popularity at such a rapid rate that Thomas Twining, a coffee house owner since 1706, set out on a venture and opened London’s first tea shop, the Golden Lyon, to keep up with the trade.
Unlike the coffee houses, which had been patronized only by men, the Golden Lyon was frequented by both sexes, and it didn’t take long before tea sales were exceeding the sales of coffee.
As the popularity of tea continued to grow in Western Europe, coffee houses experienced a great decline, with only a few surviving into the early part of the nineteenth century. During those times tea was in such high demand that it was not uncommon to purchase it from milliners and jewelers as well as grocers and tea salons.
Tea’s popularity around the world continues to this day, making it second only to water as the most highly consumed beverage in the world.
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