London, July 15 - In a bid to keep cancer at bay, more and more people are turning to green tea. However, a new review of studies on the effect of green tea on cancer prevention has yielded conflicting results.

Researchers looked at 51 medium-to-high-quality studies, conducted from 1985 through 2008, that covered more than 1.6 million participants.

The studies focused on the relationship between green tea consumption and a variety of cancers, including of breast, lung, digestive tract, urological prostate, and gynecological and oral cancers.

Many of the reviewed studies took place in Asia, where tea drinking is widespread and part of the daily routine for many.

'Despite the large number of included studies, the jury still seems to be out on the question of whether green tea can in fact prevent the development of various cancer types,' said lead study author Katja Boehm.

Since people drink varying amounts of green tea, and different types of cancers vary in how they grow, it is impossible to state definitively that green tea is 'good' for cancer prevention.