Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Green tea consumption and the risk of liver cancer in Japan: the Ohsaki Cohort study

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the association between green tea consumption and liver cancer incidence.

Methods

We prospectively followed 41,761 Japanese adults aged 40–79 years, without a history of cancer at the baseline or any missing data for green tea consumption frequency. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age, alcohol drinking, smoking, the consumption of coffee, vegetables, dairy products, fruit, fish, and soybean.

Results

Over 9 years of follow-up, among 325,947 accrued person-years, the total incidence of liver cancer was 247 cases. We found that green tea consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of liver cancer. In men, the multivariate-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for liver cancer incidence with different green tea consumption categories were 1.00 (reference) for <1 cup/day, 0.83 (0.53–1.30) for 1–2 cups/day, 1.11 (0.73–1.68) for 3–4 cups/day, and 0.63 (0.41–0.98) for ≥5 cups/day (p for trend = 0.11). The corresponding data among women were 1.00 (reference), 0.68 (0.35–1.31), 0.79 (0.44–1.44), 0.50 (0.27–0.90) (p for trend = 0.04).

Conclusions

Green tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of liver cancer incidence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lamber R, Franceschi S (2007) Hepatocellular carcinoma. World Gastroenterol News 12:23–29

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lodato F, Mazzella G, Festi D, Azzaroli F, Colecchia A, Roda E (2006) Hepatocellular carcinoma prevention: a worldwide emergence between the opulence of developed countries and the economic constraints of developing nations. World J Gastroenterol 12:7239–7249

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Kakuta Y, Nakaya N, Nagase S et al (2009) Case-control study of green tea consumption and the risk of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Cancer Causes Control 20:617–624

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kuo YC, Yu CL, Liu CY et al (2009) A population-based, cases–control study of green tea consumption and leukemia risk in southwestern Taiwan. Cancer Causes Control 20:57–65. doi:10.1007/s10552-008-9217-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Siddiqui IA, Adhami VM, Bharali DJ et al (2009) Introducing nanochemoprevention as a novel approach for cancer control: proof of principle with green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Cancer Res 69:1712–1716. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-3978

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Tang N, Wu Y, Zhou B, Wang B, Yu R (2009) Green tea, black tea consumption and risk of lung cancer: a meta-analysis. Lung Cancer 65:274–283.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Yu Z, Qin XL, Gu YY et al (2008) Prodrugs of fluoro-substituted benzoates of EGC as tumor cellular proteasome inhibitors and apoptosis inducers. Int J Mol Sci 9:951–961

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Adhami VM, Siddiqui IA, Sarfaraz S et al (2008) Effective prostate cancer chemopreventive intervention with green tea polyphenols in the TRAMP model depends on the stage of the disease. Clin Cancer Res 15:1947–1953. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-2332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Xu J, Wang J, Deng F, Hu Z, Wang H (2008) Green tea extract and its major component epigallocatechin gallate inhibits hepatitis B virus in vitro. Antiviral Res 78:242–249

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Nishikawa T, Nakajima T, Moriguchi M et al (2006) A green tea polyphenol, epigalocatechin-3-gallate, induces apoptosis of human hepatocelullar carcinoma, possibly through inhibition of Bcl-2 family proteins. J Hepatol 44:1074–1082. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2005.11.045

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Qin G, Gopalan-Kriczky P, Su J, Ning Y, Lotolikar PD (1997) Inhibition of aflatoxin B1-induced initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat by green tea. Cancer Lett 112:149–154. doi:10.1016/S0304-3835(96)04568-5

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Qin G, Ning Y, Lotlikar PD (2000) Chemoprevention of aflatoxin B1-initiated and carbon tetrachloride-promoted hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat by green tea. Nutr Cancer 38:215–222. doi:10.1207/S15327914NC382_11

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sai K, Kanno J, Hasegawa R, Trosko JE, Inoue T (2000) Prevention of the down-regulation of gap junctional intercellular communication by green tea in the liver of mice fed pentachlorophenol. Carcinogenesis 21:1671–1676. doi:10.1093/carcin/21.9.1671

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sakata R, Ueno T, Nakamura T, Sakamoto M, Torikumura T, Sata M (2004) Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits platelet-derived growth factor-induced proliferation of human hepatic stellate cell line LI90. J Hepatol 40:52–59. doi:10.1016/S0168-8278(03)00477-X

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Tamura K, Nakae D, Horiguchi K et al (1997) Inhibition by green tea extract of diethylnitrosamine-initiated but not choline-deficient, l-amino acid-defined diet-associated development of putative preneoplastic, glutathione S-transferase placental form-positive lesions in rat liver. Jpn J Cancer Res 88:356–362

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang Q, Tang X, Lu Q, Zhang Z, Rao J, Le AD (2006) Green tea extract and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibit hypoxia- and serum-induced HIF-1alpha protein accumulation and VEGF expression in human cervical carcinoma and hepatoma cells. Mol Cancer Ther 5:1227–1238. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-05-0490

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Zhang M, Zhao X, Zhang X, Holman CDJ (2008) Possible protective effect of green tea intake on risk of adult leukemia. Br J Cancer 98:168–170. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604140

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Patrick L (1999) Hepatitis C: epidemiology and review of complementary/alternative medicine treatments. Altern Med Rev 4:220–238

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Nagano J, Kono S, Preston DL, Mabuchi K (2001) A prospective study of green tea consumption and cancer incidence, Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Japan). Cancer Causes Control 12:501–508. doi:10.1023/A:1011297326696

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Inoue M, Yoshimi I, Sobue T, Tsugane S (2005) Influence of coffee drinking on subsequent risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective study in Japan. J Natl Cancer 97:293–300

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Shimazu T, Tsubono Y, Kuriyama S et al (2005) Coffee consumption and the risk of primary liver cancer: pooled analysis of two prospective studies in Japan. Int J Cancer 116:150–154. doi:10.1002/ijc.20989

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kikuchi N, Ohmori K, Shimazu T et al (2006) No association between green tea and prostate cancer risk in Japanese men: the Ohsaki cohort study. Br J Cancer 95:371–373. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603230

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kuriyama S, Shimazu T, Ohmori K et al (2006) Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study. JAMA 296:1255–1265. doi:10.1001/jama.296.10.1255

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Tsuji I, Nishino Y, Ohkubo T et al (1998) A prospective cohort study on National Health Insurance beneficiaries in Ohsaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan: study design, profiles of the subjects and medical cost during the first year. J Epidemiol 8:258–263

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ogawa K, Tsubono Y, Nishino Y et al (2003) Validation of a food-frequency questionnaire for cohort studies in rural Japan. Public Health Nutr 6:147–157. doi:10.1079/PHN2002411

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Nishino Y, Tsubono Y, Tsuji I, Hisamichi S, Yasuda T (2002) Japan, Miyagi prefecture. In: Parkin DM, Whelan SL, Ferlay J, Teppo L, Thomas DB (eds) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 8. Lyon: IARC:260-1,716

  27. Genkinger JM, Platz EA, Hoffman SC, Comstock GW, Helzlsouer KJ (2004) Fruit, vegetable, and antioxidant intake and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality in a community-dwelling population in Washington County, Maryland. Am J Epidemiol 160:1223–1233

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Fattovich G, Bortolotti F, Donato F (2008) Natural history of chronic hepatitis B: special emphasis on disease progression and prognostic factors. J Hepatol 48:335–352. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2007.11.011

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Tanaka J, Kumagai J, Katayama K et al (2004) Sex- and age- specific carriers of hepatitis B and C viruses in Japan estimated by the prevalence in the 3, 485, 648 first-time blood donors during 1995–2000. Intervirology 47:32–40. doi:10.1159/000076640

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research and for the Third Term Comprehensive Ten-Year Strategy for Cancer Control (H18-3jigan-ippan-001), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in Japan. We thank Yoshiko Nakata, Mika Wagatsuma, and Naoko Sato, Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan, for their technical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan

    Akane Ui, Shinichi Kuriyama, Masako Kakizaki, Toshimasa Sone, Naoki Nakaya, Kaori Ohmori-Matsuda, Atsushi Hozawa & Ichiro Tsuji

  2. Division of Epidemiology, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, Natori, Japan

    Yoshikazu Nishino

Authors
  1. Akane Ui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shinichi Kuriyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Masako Kakizaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Toshimasa Sone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Naoki Nakaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kaori Ohmori-Matsuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Atsushi Hozawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Yoshikazu Nishino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Ichiro Tsuji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akane Ui.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ui, A., Kuriyama, S., Kakizaki, M. et al. Green tea consumption and the risk of liver cancer in Japan: the Ohsaki Cohort study. Cancer Causes Control 20, 1939–1945 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9388-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9388-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation

-