查看文章

Objective: Catechins are bioactive flavonoids present in tea, fruits, and vegetables. Previous epidemiological studies regarding tea and cancer risk were inconclusive, possibly because catechins are also present in other plant foods. We investigated whether a high intake of catechins are associated with cancer incidence among postmenopausal women. Methods: A cohort of 34,651 postmenopausal cancer-free women aged 55–69 years were followed from 1986 to 1998. At baseline, data on diet, medical history, and lifestyle were collected. Incident cancers were obtained through linkage with a cancer registry. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate risk ratios. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, catechin intake was inversely associated with rectal cancer incidence only (risk ratios from lowest to highest quartile: 1.00, 0.93, 0.73, and 0.55; p for trend 0.02). Non-significant …