Coffee and Cancer

Cancer is all too prevalent, and is of course a leading cause of death. My family is no exception.

Does drinking coffee reduce cancer risk?

This umbrella review of "coffee consumption and health" finds drinking coffee seems to lower cancer risk.

The umbrella review highlighted results from this meta-analysis of 40 cohort studies, that found that drinking coffee is associated with an 18% lower risk of (any) cancer.

(Note: this is 18% lower "relative risk", not lower "absolute risk".)

But not for all cancer types, unfortunately.

Drinking coffee is associated with lower risk of: melanoma, leukaemia, and prostate, endometrial, oral, non-melanoma skin, liver, and lung cancers.

(A caveat: among smokers, those who drink more coffee seem to have higher mortality risks.)

But (sadly) there is no association between coffee consumption and: lymphoma, glioma, or gastric, colorectal, colon, rectal, ovarian, thyroid, breast, pancreatic, oesophageal, and laryngeal cancers.

Still – plus points for coffee!