Coffee Lowers Uterine Cancer Risk

Women who drink 4 or more cups of coffee daily have a reduced risk of developing endometrial cancer (cancer in the lining of the uterus), according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.Researchers studied more than 67,000 US nurses and found that women who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 25% less likely to develop endometrial cancer than women who drank less than 1 cup coffee in a day. Drinking 2 or more cups of de-caffeinated coffee has been tentatively linked to a 22% decrease in the risk of endometrial cancer.

Coffee can lower insulin levels and may lower levels of free estrogen circulating in the body. Higher concentrations of insulin and estrogen have both been linked to a higher risk of endometrial cancer.

However, the study authors have warned that his study does not prove cause and effect. Study co-author Dr. Edward Giovannucci said, "We also think that any risk reduction is probably related to something other than caffeine. Because coffee is a fairly complex beverage with literally thousands of compounds. In fact, coffee has one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants, and any number of those could have a beneficial aspect."

The study is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Source-Medindia