United States: That early morning cup of coffee or that afternoon tea could shield you from cancer.
According to the Cancer publication, the latest evidence indicates that one or two cups of coffee or tea can reduce the risk of mouth, throat, and head and neck cancers.
Coffee Drinkers Have Lower Cancer Risk
‘Even decaffeinated coffee was not completely without some effect,’ Susan Y. Lee, lead researcher and an epidemiologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine, told the journal’s publishing company in a news release, as reported by HealthDay.
Head and neck cancer stands on the seventh of the most reported cancer diseases, with about 745,000 fresh cases and 364,000 fatalities in 2020 as assessed by the researchers in the background information.
In its design, the scientists combined data from 14 previous trials, including 9,500 patients with head and neck carcinoma and 16,000 healthy individuals.
When compared to those who don’t drink coffee, they discovered that those who consumed more than four cups per day had:
- 17% lower odds of head and neck cancer
- 30% lower odds of mouth cancer
- 22% lower odds of throat cancer
The study showed that people who consumed three to four cups of coffee daily had a 41 percent lower risk of developing hypopharyngeal cancer. Proportionally, this cancer risk was reduced by 29% through tea drinking.
Decaffeinated Coffee Shows Promise
However, this decrease did not seem to be influenced by caffeine alone, as consumption of decaffeinated coffee was also linked to a 25% reduced risk of mouth cancer, as the findings indicated.
Researchers stated prior analyses indicated that coffee consumption reduces biological function that can promote cancer.
By reducing their consumption to one cup or less per day, they were able to reduce their overall head and neck cancer risk by 9%, according to the researchers.
But, they found out that those who consumed over 1 cup of tea per day had a 38% higher risk of throat cancer based on a paper.
More Research Needed
This could be due to tea possibly causing acid reflux in people who take it. Medical research has indicated that people who suffer from reflux are prone to developing throat cancer, as reported by HealthDay.
“Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex, and these findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk,” Lee said.