It is the second leading cause of cancer death trailing only lung cancer in that group. One possible explanation advanced by scientists is the high consumption of plant foods among Asian populations. Another is the growing number of laboratory studies indicating that green tea the most popular tea in China, Japan and other Asian countries has anti-tumor effects.
Black tea is more popular in Western countries.
Worldwide, about 80 percent of the tea consumed is black tea. Next to water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Green tea contains more polyphenols chemicals that act as powerful antioxidants and nontoxic, cancer preventive agents than black tea. It has been speculated that the low lung cancer rate in Japan despite the high rate of smoking is due to green tea consumption. Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a plant substance in green tea that is a potent killer of prostate cancer cells.