Hot Beverages Linked To Cancer Prevention Benefits
Your daily coffee or tea ritual may offer more than just a pick-me-up; it could also provide protection against certain cancers. A recent evidence review, published in the journal Cancer, highlights a link between coffee and tea consumption and a reduced risk of cancers affecting the mouth, throat, and head and neck. Interestingly, even decaffeinated coffee showed some protective effects, according to senior researcher Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, an epidemiologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Head and neck cancer ranks as the seventh most common cancer globally, with about 745,000 new cases and 364,000 deaths reported in 2020. To better understand the impact of coffee and tea on cancer risks, researchers combined data from 14 prior studies involving over 9,500 cancer patients and nearly 16,000 healthy individuals. Their findings reveal that consuming more than four cups of coffee daily can lower the odds of head and neck cancer by 17%, mouth cancer by 30%, and throat cancer by 22%.
Drinking three to four cups of coffee per day showed even greater benefits, reducing the risk of hypopharyngeal cancer—a type of throat cancer—by 41%. Tea drinkers also saw a reduced risk, with one cup or less per day lowering head and neck cancer risk by 9%, and tea consumption lowering hypopharyngeal cancer risk by 29%. Importantly, decaffeinated coffee was linked to a 25% reduced risk of mouth cancer, suggesting that caffeine isn’t the sole factor in these protective effects.
However, the study also uncovered a potential downside. Drinking more than one cup of tea daily was associated with a 38% higher risk of throat cancer. Researchers suggest that tea might promote acid reflux, which has been linked to an increased risk of throat cancer.
The findings underscore the complexity of coffee and tea habits and their relationship to cancer risk. While the data suggest clear benefits, Lee emphasized the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms involved and to solidify these findings.
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