Study answers if a daily cup of coffee really good for you or not
The first sip of coffee in the morning hits just right. It gives us a necessary caffeine boost and helps us wake up better. However, a recent study led by Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, PhD, University of Utah School of Medicine states that our daily cup of coffee can do much more. It can actually help in protecting us from one of the most common types of cancers.
The study, published in CANCER, stated that drinking more than four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of head and neck cancer by at least 17%. Senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, PhD, of Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah School of Medicine, in a media release, said, “While there has been prior research on coffee and tea consumption and reduced risk of cancer, this study highlighted their varying effects with different sub-sites of head and neck cancer, including the observation that even decaffeinated coffee had some positive impact.”
Findings of the study:
The study was conducted by analysing data from 9,548 head and neck cancer patients and 15,783 control subjects. The researchers observed that heavy coffee drinkers had a 30% lower risk of oral cavity cancer, and a 22% lower risk of throat cancer compared to non-coffee drinkers. Even decaffeinated coffee can reduce the risk of head and neck cancer. The researchers observed 25% lower risk of oral cavity cancer in people who consumed decaffeinated coffee on a daily basis.
The health benefits of keeping cancer at bay is not just restricted to drinking coffee. The study observed that tea drinkers also demonstrated 29% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer and 9% lower risk of head and neck cancer. However, drinking more than one cup of tea daily was also associated with 38% higher risk of laryngeal cancer.
How tea and coffee can protect against cancer?
Tea and coffee contain powerful compounds known as polyphenols that contain antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee is loaded with various bioactive compounds including caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids, cafestol, and kahweol. Tea, on the other hand, contains beneficial compounds such as catechins, flavanols, lignans, and phenolic acids.
