The breakfast drink that battles cancer

If you down a soft drink in the morning for breakfast to get yourself ready for your day, you’re making a big health mistake. It’s time to switch to a beverage that improves your cancer defenses and doesn’t make you more cancer-prone.

Research at the University of East Anglia Medical School shows that, for women, drinking tea or orange juice in the morning can significantly reduce the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

That type of cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among all women.

The scientists found that women who are steady consumers of drinks and food high in natural plant chemicals called flavonols and flavones have less chance of developing this kind of cancer. About 20,000 women in the U.S. are found to have ovarian cancer every year.

“We found that women who consume foods high in two sub-groups of powerful substances called flavonoids – flavonols and flavanones – had a significantly lower risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer,” says researcher Aedin Cassidy. “The main sources of these compounds include tea and citrus fruits and juices, which are readily incorporated into the diet, suggesting that simple changes in food intake could have an impact on reducing ovarian cancer risk.”

To get the benefit of these natural chemicals, you don’t have to buy unusual types of tea. The ordinary type of tea in teabags available at the supermarket is beneficial.

“In particular,” says Cassidy, “just a couple of cups of black tea every day was associated with a 31 per cent reduction in risk.”