Drinking tea and orange juice could cut a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by up to a third, claim researchers.

研究人员称，常喝茶和橙汁能够将女性患卵巢癌的风险降低至少三分之一。

A major 30-year study found that compounds in tea and citrus fruits could protect against the devastating¹ disease.

一项长达30年的研究发现，茶和柑橘类水果中所含的复合物能够有效预防卵巢癌这一可怕的疾病。

Ovarian cancer – known as the silent killer² because women are often diagnosed too late for a cure – affects almost 7,000 women a year in the UK and kills more than 4,000.

卵巢癌被视为“隐形杀手”，因为大多数女性在被诊断出此病时都已经到了无法治愈的晚期。在英国每年患卵巢癌的女性约有7000人，而超过4000人因此丧命。

The University of East Anglia scientists, who studied the diets of 171,940 women aged³ 25 to 55 for more than three decades, found that those who ate foods high in the antioxidant compounds flavonoids – including tea, red wine, apples and citrus fruits – had a much lower risk of developing ovarian tumours⁴.

英国东英吉利大学的科学家们30多年来研究了年龄在25岁-55岁之间的约17.1万名女性的日常饮食，发现那些经常食用茶、红酒、苹果、柑橘类水果等这些富含抗氧化类物质类黄酮的食物的女性患卵巢癌的几率较低。

The reduction was up to 31 per cent for tea drinkers and a fifth (21 per cent) for those drinking large amounts of citrus fruit juices, especially orange, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported.

根据《美国临床营养杂志》的报告，常喝茶的女性可将患卵巢癌的几率减少31%以上，而常喝柑橘类水果果汁尤其是橙汁的女性可将患癌几率减少21%。

Lead researcher Professor Aedin Cassidy, from Norwich Medical School, said: ‘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 intake⁵ could have an impact on reducing ovarian cancer risk.’ Flavonoids are thought to provide protection in several ways, such as by improving blood vessel⁶ function and preventing inflammation.

诺维奇医学院的首席研究员爱婷·卡西迪教授说：“茶和橙汁等其中包含的这些化合物很容易从日常饮食中获得，这表明在摄取食物时一些简单的改变就能帮助降低患卵巢癌的风险。”类黄酮被认为能够提升血管功能、预防炎症，因此可以为身体提供保护。

Dr Simon Newman, head of research at Target Ovarian Cancer, said: ‘Whilst the causes and risks of ovarian cancer are complex, a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and regular exercise can reduce your risk slightly.’

卵巢癌研究人员西蒙·纽曼博士说：“虽然卵巢癌的引发原因比较复杂，但科学的饮食、有规律的体育锻炼、健康的生活方式等都能在一定程度上降低患癌风险。”

Louise Bayne, of the charity Ovacome, said: ‘It is always welcome to see reports of how women might go about avoiding ovarian cancer. But the key in beating this disease is in identifying its symptoms early on...

来自慈善组织“Ovacome”的路易斯·拜恩说：“我们非常乐于看到有关女性如何预防或避免卵巢癌的报道。但是战胜这种疾病的关键在于及早辨别出其早期的症状表现。”

‘Women also need to talk to their family to find out if there is a history of breast and ovarian cancer.’

“另外，女性也应该多与家人沟通，以了解所在家族中是否有人有过乳腺癌或卵巢癌的病史。”