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Here's some good news for coffee drinkers: Your daily pick-me-up might offer long-term health benefits. Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, host of HealthDay TV. According to the National Coffee Association, 54 percent of adults drink coffee daily. Worldwide, coffee and tea are the most commonly consumed hot beverages. In a new study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers looked through the medical literature to learn more about coffee and the risk of cancer. They combined data from nine studies involving more than 14,000 people with and without head and neck cancer. People who drank more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily had a 39-percent lower risk of developing cancer in the mouth or a part of the throat called the pharynx as compared to non-drinkers. Tea didn't appear to either raise or lower the risk of head and neck cancer. The researchers didn't have much information on decaffeinated coffee, but it didn't seem to raise the risk. As the researchers point out, coffee has also been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and endometrial cancer. The drink contains more than 1,000 chemicals, some of which may have an anti-cancer effect. IÕm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.
