Scientists from the University of Southern California found that drinking coffee is linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the colon or the rectum.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in the United States.
Colorectal cancer often begins as a growth called a polyp inside the colon or rectum. Finding and removing polyps can prevent colorectal cancer.
Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.
Coffee contains several bioactive compounds relevant to colon health. Although coffee drinking is a protective factor for colorectal cancer, current evidence remains unclear.
In the current study, researchers examined the association between coffee drinking and the risk of colorectal cancer in more than 5000 cancer patients and more than 4000 healthy people.
They used data from the Molecular Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer (MECC) study, a large study in northern Israel.
The team also examined this association by type of coffee, by cancer site (colon and rectum), and by ethnic subgroup (Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardi Jews, and Arabs).
They found coffee drinking was linked to a 26% lower risk of developing colorectal cancer.
The benefit was also found for decaffeinated coffee consumption alone and for boiled coffee.
In addition, drinking more coffee was associated with a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer.
Compared with drinking less than 1 serving of coffee per day, drinking 1 to 2 servings of coffee per day, 2 to 2.5 servings of coffee per day, and more than 2.5 servings of coffee per day were linked to much lower risks of colorectal cancer.
The dose-response trend was strong for both colon and rectal cancers.
Based on the findings, the team suggests that drinking coffee may be linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer. The more coffee people drink, the lower their cancer risks.
In addition, the general coffee drinking patterns suggest possible health benefits of the beverage for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.
The research is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, and was conducted by Stephen B. Gruber et al.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk, and how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease and results showing how vitamin B may help fight vision loss, brain cancer, and COVID-19.
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