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Vitamins and plant ingredients

Tea consumption and its interactions with tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking on oral cancer in southeast China

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 71, pages 481–485 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Epidemiological results on the association between tea consumption and oral cancer remain controversial. We aimed to evaluate the exact relationship between tea consumption and oral cancer in Chinese population.

Subjects/Methods:

A large-scale case–control study was conducted on 586 oral cancer patients and 1024 controls frequency-matched by age and gender. Epidemiological data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a structure questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression model was used to assess the effect of tea consumption on oral cancer stratified by smoking, alcohol drinking and demographics. Quantity of tea consumed (ml/day) was categorized into five subgroups based on quartiles and then its interactions was evaluated with tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking at each subgroup.

Results:

Tea consumption showed an inverse association with oral cancer for non-smokers or non-alcohol drinkers (the odds ratios (ORs) were 0.610 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.425–0.876) and 0.686 (95% CI: 0.503–0.934), respectively). For smokers or alcohol drinkers, decreased risk was only observed in those who consumed >800 ml/day. Furthermore, oolong tea consumption was associated with decreased risk of oral cancer in smokers or alcohol drinkers but not in non-smokers or non-alcohol drinkers. Tea consumption combined with smoking or/and alcohol drinking had a greater risk than tea consumption alone, but the risk was roughly reduced from zero to Q4 (>800 ml/day). Additionally, when stratified by demographics, the protective effect of tea was especially evident in females, urban residents, normal body mass index population (18.5–23.9), farmers, office workers and those aged <60 years.

Conclusions:

Tea consumption protects against oral cancer in non-smokers or non-alcohol drinkers, but this effect may be obscured in smokers or alcohol drinkers. Additionally, demographics may modify the association between tea consumption and oral cancer.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (No.2015J01304), University Development Foundation of National Financial Support (No.1003-03900130). We are deeply grateful to the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University for data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistic, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

    F Chen, B-C He, L-J Yan, F-P Liu, J-F Huang, Z-J Hu, Z Lin, X-Y Zheng & L Cai

  2. Department of Stomatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

    L-S Lin

  3. Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Z-F Zhang

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  1. F Chen
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  2. B-C He
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Correspondence to B-C He or L Cai.

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Chen, F., He, BC., Yan, LJ. et al. Tea consumption and its interactions with tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking on oral cancer in southeast China. Eur J Clin Nutr 71, 481–485 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.208

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