A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Utah School of Medicine in the United States of America revealed that coffee and tea consumption is linked to a reduced risk of head and neck cancers, including mouth and throat cancer.
The results of the study were published in the American Cancer Society’s magazine “Cancer” on December 23, and were written about by the Eurek Alert website.
Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide, and several studies have evaluated whether drinking coffee or tea is associated with head and neck cancers, but the results of these studies have been inconsistent.
The researchers in this study verified data published in 14 studies conducted by different scientists around the world. Participants in these studies completed questionnaires about their past consumption of caffeinated coffee, decaf coffee, and tea, and recorded the number of cups they consumed daily, weekly, monthly, and annually.
Drinking coffee protects you from head and neck cancers
The researchers collected information from more than 9,000 patients with head and neck cancer and 15,000 people without cancer, and found that individuals who drank more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 17% less likely to develop head and neck cancer in general, and less likely to develop it. Oral cavity cancer is 30% less likely, and throat cancer is 22% less likely.
Drinking 3-4 cups of caffeinated coffee was associated with a 41% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. While drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with a 25% lower risk of developing oral cavity cancer.
One cup of tea is enough for you
Drinking tea was associated with a 29% lower risk of developing hypopharyngeal cancer. Drinking one cup of tea daily was associated with a 9% lower risk of head and neck cancer overall and a 27% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer, but drinking more than one cup was associated with a 38% increased risk of laryngeal cancer.