Women: More coffee less cancer?

Good news for coffee drinkers - women who drink at least four cups of coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of endometrial cancer than women who did not. The results of the study were limited to regular coffee, and did not include other caffeinated beverages such as tea, or decaffeinated coffee.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - According to Youjin Je, MS of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, "Our findings provide prospective evidence with the potential beneficial role of four or more cups of coffee per day against endometrial cancer risk."

He added, "However, recommendations about high coffee consumption should be made with caution. Because our population is relatively health conscious and thus may tend not to add substantial sugar and cream, the results of risk reduction with four cups of coffee per day may not be generalizable to coffee drinkers who typically add sugar or cream to coffee."

Researchers aren't entirely sure why this is so, but they think it may have to do with female hormones. Previous studies have demonstrated that coffee and caffeine intake affect a number of female hormones in test subjects.

Previous studies have also shown a relationship between coffee drinking and endometrial cancer risk, but most of the data in those studies was collected retrospectively. This is the first study that addresses that factor.

The basis for the current study was initiated in 1976 by a Nurse's Health Study (NHS) which provided data on individual coffee consumption. A group of 121,700 nurses between the ages of 30 and 55, were evaluated for that study. From that data set, researchers looked at a subgroup of 67,470 NHS participants who also completed follow up questionnaires through 2002.

The amount of caffeine consumed by the participants was subsequently calculated using USDA statistics. Consumption of other beverages, included caffeinated drinks and alcohol were also examined, but researchers isolated coffee as a variable.

What researchers found was that 672 cases of endometrial cancer were later diagnosed among the participants. When adjusted for age and other factors, it was found that women who consumed four or more cups of coffee per day were at a significantly lower risk of developing cancer. Consumption of tea did not show any association of risk with endometrial cancer.

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