The last 15 years have seen a notable shift in clinical considerations around coffee, and now new research has revealed that the beverage has anti-cancer effects.

Over the years, a string of studies into its effects on everything from kidney function to mood regulation has labelled the beverage a healthy one.

A new University of Utah study, published in the journal Cancer, found that drinkers of four cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of developing head and neck cancer.

This is the seventh most common cancer in the world, with almost 750,000 patients diagnosed in the year 2020. During that year, the mortality rate of the disease was almost 50%.

The study

The team at the University of Utah re-analyzed data from 14 previous studies that involved almost 9,500 patients with head and neck cancer and nearly 16,000 healthy people. They looked for any association between coffee consumption and risk for cancer.

Researchers found that people who drank more than four cups of coffee a day:

• had a 17% reduced risk of developing head and neck cancer,
• a 30% reduced risk of cancer of the oral cavity,
• and a 22% reduced risk of cancer of the throat.

A 2016 meta also reported that the consumption of coffee is associated with the reduced risk of several cancers, including oral, pharynx, liver, colon, prostate, and endometrial cancers, as well as melanoma. At the same time, this review revealed increased lung cancer risk in coffee consumers.

There was a 25% reduced risk of oral cavity cancer with decaffeinated coffee. Tea consumption resulted in a 29% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. Drinking one cup or less of tea per day also resulted in a 9% reduced overall risk of head and neck cancer, and a 27% reduced risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. On the other hand, however, consumption of more than one cup of tea per day was associated with a 38% increased risk of laryngeal cancer.

The general point is that botanicals that have highly aromatic chemical constituents, like cinnamon, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cloves, tea, and coffee, tend to possess potent health-enhancing properties.

Source:  American Cancer Society