Regular coffee drinkers may face a significantly lower risk of developing head and neck cancers, according to new research published on Monday.
Researchers from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in the U.S. analyzed data from 9,548 cancer patients and 15,783 healthy controls.
An analysis combining data from multiple studies found that consuming four or more cups of caffeinated coffee daily was associated with a 17% reduction in overall head and neck cancer risk, researchers reported in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Coffee drinkers showed 30% lower odds of oral cavity cancer and 22% lower odds of throat cancer compared to non-coffee drinkers. Even decaffeinated coffee consumption was linked to a 25% reduction in oral cavity cancer risk.
Tea consumption showed mixed results.
While drinking one cup or less daily was associated with a 9% lower overall head and neck cancer risk, consuming more than one cup is associated with a 38% higher chance of laryngeal cancer, the study found.
"Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex," said senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee from the research center in a press release by the publisher.
"These findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk," she added.
The research gains significance as head and neck cancer, which rank as the seventh most common cancer globally, continue to rise in low- and middle-income countries.
