Consumption of
tea, especially
green tea, has been shown to reduce the incidence of ultraviolet (UV)-related skin
tumors in hairless mice. Because milk is added to much of the
tea consumed in Western cultures, we have studied the effects of including milk in the
tea consumed by hairless mice receiving simulated solar radiation. Under these conditions, mice consuming
tea with 10% whole milk had 30% fewer
papillomas, 50% fewer
tumors, and 55% smaller lesions than mice consuming water. Mice consuming
tea alone had fewer
papillomas and
tumors than mice consuming
tea with milk; however, the difference in area affected was not statistically significant. In separate experiments, there was a significant dose response to
black tea as a preventive against UV-related skin lesions, and also consumption of
black tea was associated with a small but significant reduction in the incidence of
papillomas in mice previously exposed to UV radiation. The results of these studies demonstrate that, in hairless mice,
black tea can inhibit the formation of UV-induced skin
tumors in a dose-dependent manner and, even with the addition of milk, can still inhibit the growth of UV-related skin
tumors.