If the weight of the world is getting on top of you, there’s nothing more relaxing than settling down with a good brew.
That is, if you’re a man.
This devastating news comes as a new study has revealed tea consumption can lead to epigenetic changes in the human gene - that can cause disease - but only in the female population. Great.
It is well known that environmental and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, poor diet and exposure to chemicals and pollution, can cause cancer and other chronic diseases.
But who would have thought that the humble cup of tea could also be responsible for such changes in the body?
The research from Uppsala University, found that tea causes these same chemical modifications that can turn particular genes off or on, as seen in cancer when tumour cells are no longer suppressed.
Tea was also shown to interact with cancer and oestrogen metabolism.
Weronica Ek, researcher at the ‘Department of Immunology’, said: “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.”
Previous studies have suggested that both tea and coffee, play an important role in modulating disease-risk in humans, and although this study looked at both caffeinated drinks, coffee was not seen to cause epigenetic changes.
Results from this study highlight the role of pharmacologically active components in tea being involved in cancer and estrogen metabolism.
Despite the findings, the study was not able to conclude whether it is still “healthy to drink tea” or the quantities of consumption that are cause for concern.
Further research is required to establish these parameters, according to the team.