If you’re a heavy coffee drinker—yeah I’m talking to you, I’ve got some good news. Heavy coffee drinkers may cut their risk of dying from oral cancers nearly in half according to new research. You have to drink more than four cups a day to be considered a heavy coffee drinker, but if you do, you’re golden.
The American Cancer Society conducted a study of nearly 1 million men and women. Those who reported drinking at least four cups of the caffeinated beverage a day incurred about half the risk of dying from mouth and throat cancers compared to those who didn’t drink caffeinated coffee daily or only drank it on occasion. The link even held when the researchers took into account smoking habits and alcohol use which are among the strongest risk factors for oral cancers.
The study consisted of more than 968,000 men and women enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II which began in 1982. At the start of this study all of the subjects were all cancer free. During the 26 year fallow up, 868 deaths occurred from oral or throat cancers. When the researchers evaluated the coffee and tea drinking habits of their subjects, they found a link between coffee and a reduced risk of dying from oral cancers. More than 97% of the men and women drank either coffee or tea. More than 60% said they drank at least one cup of caffeinated coffee a day. Among those, most had three cups a day. No benefit was found for tea drinkers.
35,000 new cases of oral cancers are expected to be diagnosed this year in the U.S. alone with 6,800 of those ending in death.
Researchers still don’t know all the details but they do know that coffee contains hundreds of biologically active compounds. Many of them are known to have anti-cancer properties, though they’re not suggesting to those who don’t already to start drinking coffee. There are several more scientific and clinical evidence to be found before they could support such a recommendation.
These new findings however are “fascinating and remarkable”. There have been several studies funded and conducted by large and reputable organizations and so far have come up with the same findings. The studies have even been consistent when they have included different populations and cancers, which is a good sign.
So next time you’re deciding whether or not to pour yourself that second cup of coffee, go ahead and pour one more…or two.
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