Coffee and Tea Consumption Linked to Lower Risk of Head and Neck Cancers: Study
A recent analysis of data from over a dozen studies suggests that coffee and tea consumption may be linked to a lower risk of certain head and neck cancers, according to News.ro. Head and neck cancers are the eighth most common type of cancer worldwide, with increasing rates observed in low- and middle-income countries.
Previous studies on the association between coffee or tea consumption and head and neck cancers have had inconsistent results. To provide further insight, researchers examined data from 14 studies conducted by different scientists associated with the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) group, a collaboration of research teams from around the world.
Study participants completed questionnaires about their daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly consumption of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea. When researchers combined information from 9,548 head and neck cancer patients and 15,783 healthy controls, they found the following associations:
- People who consumed more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 17% lower risk of head and neck cancers, a 30% lower risk of oral cavity cancer, and a 22% lower risk of oropharyngeal cancer compared to non-coffee drinkers.
- Consuming 3-4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a 41% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer (a type of cancer at the base of the throat).
- Decaffeinated coffee consumption was linked to a 25% lower risk of oral cavity cancer.
- Tea consumption was associated with a 29% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer.
Drinking 1-2 cups of coffee or less than 1 cup of tea per day was associated with a 9% lower overall risk of head and neck cancers and a 27% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. However, consuming more than 1 cup of tea was linked to a 38% higher risk of laryngeal cancer.
"While previous studies have explored the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and cancer risk reduction, this study underscores the varied effects of coffee and tea on different subtypes of head and neck cancers, including the observation that decaffeinated coffee also had a positive impact," said senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.
Lee noted that coffee and tea consumption habits are complex, and further studies are needed to validate these findings and better understand the potential impacts of coffee and tea on cancer risk reduction. The study was published online on December 23 in the journal CANCER, by Wiley on behalf of the American Cancer Society.
