After all the contradicting information out there on coffee and our health there is finally a study that shows it’s not such a bad thing. Researchers have found the more coffee you drink, the more you could be protecting yourself against skin cancer.
A report published in the journal Cancer Research explains drinking more caffeinated coffee could lower the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma. Out of all the forms of skin cancer, this is the most common.
Data from more than 112,000 people was analyzed from the famous Nurses’ Health Study. A quarter of those studied developed basal cell carcinoma over a 20 year period. Researchers found a close relationship in those who did not develop this cancer with the higher amount of coffee they drank per day (more than two cups).
Scientists could not ignore this as a key factor, especially after seeing other “caffeine-present” food and drinks like tea, cola and chocolate also seemed to reduce the risk.
Basal cell carcinoma which is a slow-growing skin cancer, is not a serious melanoma. However, it can still lead to permanent damage or death if left untreated.
Doctors warn this doesn’t allow people to drink coffee in excess.
“I would not recommend increasing your coffee intake based on these data alone,” Jiali Han, an associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston and Harvard School of Public Health, and an author with the study, told CNN.
“However,” she continued, “Our results add basal cell carcinoma to a list of conditions for which risk is decreased with increasing coffee consumption. This list includes conditions with serious negative health consequences such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.”
Researchers also noted that this is the first step of many to better understand the relationship between caffeine and the reduced risk of developing skin cancer.
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