Objective.To determine the association between regular Chinese green tea consumption and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in diabetic patients in China.Methods.100 DR patients and 100 age-sex-matched diabetic controls without retinopathy were recruited in a clinic-based, case-control study. DR was defined from retinal photographs and detailed information on Chinese green tea consumption of the participants was collected through a face-to-face interview.Results.The crude odds ratio [OR] of Chinese green tea consumption for DR was 0.49 (95% confidence interval: 0.26–0.90). When stratified by sex, the protective effect of Chinese green tea consumption on DR was statistically significant in women (P=0.01) but not in men (P=0.63). After adjusting for age, sex, and other confounders, DR was significantly associated with Chinese green tea consumption (OR = 0.48;P=0.04), higher systolic blood pressure (OR = 1.02;P=0.05), longer duration of diabetes (OR = 1.07;P=0.02), and the presence of family history of diabetes (OR = 2.35;P=0.04).Conclusions.Diabetic patients who had regularly drunk Chinese green tea every week for at least one year in their lives had a DR risk reduction of about 50% compared with those who had not. Regular Chinese green tea consumption may be a novel approach for the prevention of DR.
A nested case–control study of stomach cancer in relation to green tea consumption in Japan
