Slip, slop, slap and slurp could well become the Aussie formula for lowering your risk of developing skin cancer, following recent research findings by CSIRO scientists.
Research with mice at CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition in Adelaide by Dr Ian Record and Dr Ivor Dreosti has shown that black tea appears to provide significant protection against the development of skin tumours caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.
The researchers sounded a note of caution that, so far, the effects of black tea as an anti-cancer agent had only been explored in mice, and the implications of their findings for humans will require further investigation.
Ultraviolet rays generate free radical oxygen atoms in the skin which in turn inflict damage on the skin cells' genetic code, causing some of them to become cancerous.
Previous research showed that antioxidant creams containing vitamins E, C or beta-carotene applied to the skin could reduce some of the adverse effects of UV. Drs Record and Dreosti reasoned that if this was so, then foods and drinks containing antioxidants might also offer some protection.
Tea was an obvious choice. being high in polyphenols, potent antioxidants, which researchers believe may be helpful in lowering the risks of both cancer and heart disease. According to Chinese tradition it has been brewed for its health-giving qualities since 2737BC.
The CSIRO team dosed separate groups of hairless mice on water, green tea and black tea over several months. The mice drinking green tea experienced an average reduction of 18 per cent in skin cancers, while those drinking black tea showed an even more dramatic reduction of 54 per cent.
"The results suggest that, in this mouse model, tea significantly reduced the incidence of actinic (caused by UV radiation) skin cancers. Both teas also appeared to delay the onset of papillomas and skin cancers," they concluded.
The researchers are encouraged by these preliminary findings which suggest that the potential health benefits associated with tea drinking may include black tea and not be confined to green tea as has often been assumed in the past.
More information: Dr Ivor Dreosti 0418 847 009