NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research indicates that drinking coffee lowers the risk of developing cancer of the oral cavity or throat, at least in the general population of Japan.
The consumption of coffee in Japan is relatively high, as is the rate of cancer of the esophagus in men. To look into any protective effect of coffee drinking, Dr. Toru Naganuma of Tohoku University, Sendai, and colleagues, analyzed data from the population-based Miyagi Cohort Study in Japan.
The study included information about diet, including coffee consumption. Among more than 38,000 study participants aged 40 to 64 years with no prior history of cancer, 157 cases of cancer of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus occurred during 13 years of follow up.
Compared with people who did not drink coffee, those who drank one or more cups per day had half the risk of developing these cancers, Naganuma's group reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
They note that the reduction in risk included people who are at high risk for these cancers, namely, those who were current drinkers and/or smokers at the start of the study.
"We had not expected that we could observe such a substantial inverse association with coffee consumption and the risk of these cancers," Naganuma commented to Reuters Health, "and the inverse association in high-risk groups for these cancers as well."
The researchers conclude in their article, "Although cessation of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking is currently the best known way to help reduce the risk of developing these cancers, coffee could be a preventive factor in both low-risk and high-risk populations."
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, December 15, 2008.
I'm glad to hear that coffee is good for your throat. In my case I feel it is very good to counteract my food cravings. Without coffee I probably coudln't loose a single pound. It just helps the cravings, sometimes a lot and sometimes a little but definitely effective to some extent. I love coffee. Never drank it until I was in my early 50s.
I enjoyed reading this article. I have drank coffee ever since I can remember, so I'm glad it doesn't have any detrimental effect in the long run. I don't enjoy warm drinks in the summer, but on a cold, winter day, a hot cup of coffee is so good first thing in the morning.
Warning!!!Not HOT coffee or any hot beverage.This actually increases your risk for throat and esophageal cancers by damaging tissue.Just saw this study last week.Actually makes a lot of sense.
Harrismm: Thanks for this info. Very good information. Seems like there's pros and cons on everything. The Mayo Clinic supports drinking coffee for weight loss. I wasn't sure if you were saying there's something wrong with drinking coffee, or just the temperature of the coffee. I guess it's like everything, get advice from your doctor.
I recently read the news about hot beverages (the study I read about was following tea drinkers in Iran) and a possible link to esophagus cancer. I've always enjoyed my beverages and food very HOT, but this definitely got me to wait a bit before drinking.
This quote from the article haunts me and I think about it all the time:
Editorialist David Whiteman, PhD., of Australia’s Queensland Institute of Medical Research, notes that while the findings should be replicated, letting hot drinks cool off for several minutes is a good idea. “It is difficult to imagine any adverse consequences of waiting at least four minutes before drinking a cup of freshly boiled tea, or more generally allowing foods and beverages to cool from ‘scalding’ to ‘tolerable’ before swallowing,” he writes.
Coffee is good for your throat
