Dataset Information

Association Between Traditional Herbal Diet and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Risk: A Prospective Cohort Study in Southern China

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Prospective evidence for herbal diet and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development is absent. We therefore evaluated the associations of herbal soup and herbal tea with NPC in a prospective cohort study in southern China.

Methods

Based on an NPC screening cohort established in 2008–2015, information on herbal diet consumption, potential confounding factors, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody levels were collected from 10,179 individuals aged 30–69 years in Sihui city, southern China. Cox regression models were performed to examine herbal diet with NPC risk, and logistic regression models were used to examine herbal diet with EBV reactivation.

Results

During a median of 7.54 years of follow-up, 69 participants developed NPC. Herbal soup consumption was associated with decreased NPC risk, with HRs of 0.31 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15–0.62) for the highest intake frequency and 0.29 (95% CI: 0.16–0.51) for a longer duration. However, herbal tea was not significantly associated. Moreover, we identified herbal soup was inversely associated with EBV seropositivity among all the participants at baseline, with the adjusted ORs being 0.78 (95% CI: 0.65–0.93) for immunoglobulin A antibodies against EBV capsid antigens (VCA-IgA) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.64–0.91) for nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1-IgA) in those with the highest frequency and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.59–0.84) for VCA-IgA and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.54–0.77) for EBNA1-IgA in those with the longer duration. Inverse associations were also observed in non-NPC individuals.

Conclusions

With inhibition of EBV reactivation by plants, herbal soup could significantly decrease the risk of NPC in endemic areas.

SUBMITTER: Lyu Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8566915 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Liáng chá ("cooling tea", "herbal tea" or "cool tisane" in Chinese) are herbal drinks widely produced in southern China and consumed by billions of people worldwide to prevent and treat internal heat as well as a range of associated health conditions. Globalization and renewed interest in botanical remedies has attracted growing attention in cooling herbal drinks by industry, scientists and consumers. However, there is a knowledge gap on the plant species used and commercialized for cooling herbal drinks in southern China and their associated ethnobotanical use, habitat and conservation status. This is the first study to document plant species used and commercialized as liáng chá in southern China's Lingnan region and associated ethnomedical function, preparation methods, habitat and conservation status.Three hundred market surveys were conducted between 2010-2012 in the largest herbal drink producing region of China to record plants used for liáng chá and to document knowledge on their medicinal function, habitat and conservation status. Product samples and voucher specimens were collected for taxonomic identification.All informants harvest and cultivate plants for preparing herbal drinks for their medicinal, cultural and economic values. A total of 222 ethnotaxa corresponded to 238 botanical taxa (species, varieties or subspecies) belonging to 86 families and 209 genera were recorded as liáng chá to treat health conditions in the study area. Recorded remedies consisted of one or several plant species to treat conditions classified into 27 major health conditions with clearing internal heat being the most common medicinal function. The habitat types of plants documented for use as liáng chá include 112 wild harvested species, 51 species that are either wild harvested or cultivated, 57 cultivated species, and 2 naturalized species. According to China's Red List and CITES on conservation status, one of these species is endangered, one species is critically endangered, eight species are vulnerable, one is listed in CITES II, three are listed in Regional Red Data Book and the remaining 224 species are in the least concerned conservation category.The liáng chá industry of southern China reflects the plant species richness and cultural diversity of the region. Future research on safety and efficacy of herbal drinks as well as ecological and cultural conservation efforts are needed for the sustainable growth of China's botanical industry.