Can Coffee Consumption Reduce Your Cancer Risk?

According to research published in the medical journal Scientific Reports, your daily cup of joe may significantly reduce your cancer risk. The researchers compared coffee consumption and incidence of cancer. They found that those who drank coffee on a daily basis had a reduced risk of seven different types of cancer, including: oral, pharynx, liver, colon, melanoma, prostate and endometrial cancers.

The news is especially good when it comes to your liver: researchers found that drinking three cups of coffee daily reduced the risk of liver cancer by 50 percent. That’s great news considering that according to the American Cancer Society every year approximately 35,660 people are diagnosed with liver cancer.

While the study reported mostly good news for coffee drinkers and cancer risk, the researchers found a surprising, albeit small, increased risk of lung cancer among coffee drinkers. It’s not clear why coffee consumption would help to prevent most of the cancers tested but increase the risk of lung cancer.

Earlier research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that coffee consumption could reduce the risk of death. In the meta-analysis of 21 studies and nearly one million participants, researchers found a strong link between coffee consumption and a reduced incidence of death due to cardiovascular disease and “all-cause mortality.” All-cause mortality simply refers to the general incidence of death from non-specific causes. The study found that the greatest reduction in all-cause mortality risk in people who drank four cups of coffee daily while those who drank three cups daily had the greatest cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Other studies show that it’s not the caffeine that helps reduce cancer risk, at least when it comes to colorectal or liver cancers, because decaf showed many of the same protective benefits.

Of course, if you’re adding aspartame, sucralose (known mainly as Splenda), sugar, flavored syrups or other coffee additions, you may not reap the benefits of coffee consumption. These various add-ons have been linked to a laundry list of health problems and are best avoided.

The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional  medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text,graphics,images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes  only.