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Sipping Oolong Tea Might Help Treat and Ward Off Breast Cancer, Study Shows

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As the most common form of cancer for women, breast cancer is constantly being researched by experts seeking ways to ward off and treat the disease. As terrifying as it is to hear the words “breast cancer” from your doctor, new treatments are being discovered more and more frequently, giving us all hope for an eventual cure. 

In October 2018, scientists from St. Louis University in Missouri published promising results after studying the effect of oolong tea on breast cancer cells in the International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment. According to Chunfa Huang, PhD, the tests examined how cells stood up to extracts of green, oolong, black, and dark tea. Black and dark teas showed no signs of change with the cells. Green tea had already been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in other research, and this study yielded similar results. But this research also uncovered a similar reaction from oolong tea varieties as well. Dr. Huang and his team tested the tea against six breast cancer cell lines before coming to this conclusion. 

The scientists also observed how residents of the Fujian province in China — an area where large amounts of oolong tea is consumed on a regular basis — were 35 percent less likely to develop breast cancer in comparison to the rest of the country. Those who were diagnosed with breast cancer were also 38 percent less likely to die from it. On top of that, the research claims that those who drink plenty of the tea are 68 percent less likely to pass away prematurely overall.

Of course, more research is needed and additional studies will be done in the future to see just how effective oolong tea really is for battling breast cancer cells. But in the meantime, adding a cup or two of this tea to your day certainly can’t hurt. You can mix things up by switching between oolong and green brews to keep yourself from getting tired of the same flavor over and over again — and still give your body a healthy boost of nutrients. Aside from this new research, previous studies have also shown the tea to be beneficial for weight loss to boot. Time to start sipping!

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