 Tea is one of the most ancient and common beverages in the world, yet only recently has tea become international news for its health benefits. A group of researchers at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, known as “The Tea Team,” are part of making that news. They were one of the first groups in the world to start studying the preventive effects of tea. Their research has been foundational in investigating tea’s potential to prevent skin cancer; lung damage from heavy smoking, coronary heart disease, and the list is growing.
One study is even looking at how tea may help prevent weight gain. Results from one study showed that smokers who drank several cups of tea daily had a 30 percent decrease of DNA damage—important findings for the prevention of lung cancer. One of the College’s current research projects looks specifically at green tea’s potential to prevent lung cancer among former heavy smokers. In this study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers hope to determine the differences between drinking green tea, consuming green tea capsules and a placebo preparation. Another study, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, is measuring the potential of green and black tea to minimize oxidative stress and damage in the body.
“It’s a key. Oxidative stress is linked to most chronic diseases,” said Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Heath Promotion Sciences at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and principal investigator on the studies. Testing is conducted for DNA damage, lipid damage, gene expression, rate of cell death, and prevention of the growth of cancer cells. Also, samples from participants are frozen in case new biomarkers are discovered in the future.
Dr. Hakim and other researchers at the College have published their findings about the connections between tea and cancer prevention in health, cancer, nutrition, and health promotion journals around the world. The testing methods and standards they have developed are now used internationally in tea studies. They began as pioneers and continue to lead internationally in researching tea’s potential to prevent cancer.
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