Tea Consumption: Epigenetic Changes in Women

Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications that turn our genes off or on. In a new study from Uppsala University, researchers showed that tea consumption in women leads to epigenetic changes in genes that are known to interact with cancer and estrogen metabolism.

Tea. Image credit: Leah Jones/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

It is well known that our environment and lifestyle factors, such as food choices, smoking and exposure to chemicals, can lead to epigenetic changes. In the current study, researchers from Uppsala University in collaboration with research groups around Europe, investigated if coffee and tea consumption may lead to epigenetic changes.

Previous studies have suggested that both coffee and tea play an important role in modulating disease-risk in humans by suppressing tumor progression, decreasing inflammation and influencing estrogen metabolism, mechanisms that may be mediated by epigenetic changes.

The results show that there are epigenetic changes in women consuming tea, but not in men. Interestingly, many of these epigenetic changes were found in genes involved in cancer and estrogen metabolism.

"Previous studies have shown that tea consumption reduces estrogen levels which highlights a potential difference between the biological response to tea in men and women. Women also drink higher amounts of tea compared to men, which increases our power to find association in women," said Weronica Ek, researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, who led the study. The study did not find any epigenetic changes in individuals drinking coffee.

Results from this study highlight the role of pharmacologically active components in tea being involved in cancer and estrogen metabolism, which can reflect that health effects related to tea consumption might be due to epigenetic changes. (Tasnim News Agency)

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