Green tea consumption and SARS-CoV-2 infection among staff of a referral hospital in Japan

BACKGROUND & AIM: This study examined the association between green tea consumption and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among Japanese. METHODS: Participants were staff of a large referral hospital in Tokyo. Green tea consumption was ascertained via a questionnaire. SARS-CoV-2 infection was identified through in-house records of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases or antibody tests. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection according to green tea consumption. RESULTS: Of 2640 participants (767 men and 1873 women; aged 21–75 years), 74 (2.8%) were confirmed or suspected to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the epidemic. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not significantly associated with green tea consumption. There was a suggestion of a decrease in the odds of this infection associated with green tea consumption of ≥4 cups/day (odds ratio 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.20–1.31). CONCLUSIONS: Green tea consumption was not appreciably associated with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A lower odds of infection among those who consumed high green tea consumption deserves further investigation.