Health Benefits Of Coffee And Cancer Risk
Health Benefits Of Coffee And Cancer Risk - More
good news on the health benefits of coffee. A new study finds that women who
drank 4 of more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 30% lower chance of
endometrial cancer... yet experts warn that lifestyle factors are sure to play
a part too.
If you're a decaf drinker, having two or more mugs of
decaf coffee each day appears to reduce your cancer risk by 22%. Like other
work, this research suggests that women drinking either regular or decaf coffee
have a lower risk for endometrial cancer.
This is not to say that non-coffee drinkers should
take up coffee drinking... the work finds a link, and not a cause and effect.
The researchers evaluated over 67,000 women who were
enrolled in the well-known Nurses' Health Study in an attempt to identify a
relationship between coffee and the chance of endometrial cancer. Over the
26-year period of follow up, 672 women were diagnosed with endometrial cancer.
There was a greater protective effect from coffee
drinking for obese women, something that's been noticed in other studies.
Obesity has long been identified as a risk factor for this type of cancer. The
relationship between coffee drinking and a lower risk of cancer was also
strongest for ex (or current) smokers, those past menopause and those not
taking hormone therapy.
Coffee does appear to increase insulin resistance,
and has also been shown to raise estrogen levels. High levels of estrogen
and insulin have been linked to an increased risk of endometrial cancer
according to researchers. Coffee, besides the caffeine, is full of other
compounds that might improve the action of insulin in the body.
Since the research collected no information on how
the coffee was consumed - black or with cream and sugar - we don't know what
combination might be most effective. Experts not involved in the research agree
that women who are already drinking coffee might be bringing down their risk of
this form of cancer.
According to American Cancer Society numbers,
endometrial cancer will strike an estimated 46,500 women, bringing over 8,100
deaths in 2011 alone. The cancer is of the womb itself, in the uterus lining, a
small, hollow, pear shaped organ where a child develops. This form of cancer
can often be caught early because it typically produces abnormal vaginal
bleeding - prompting a woman to visit her doctor.
Doctors still don't know what causes endometrial
cancer, though they know that some sort of mutation takes place in the
endometrium, the womb lining, turning normal, healthy cells into dangerous ones.
Eventually the abnormal cells combine to form a mass and can separate from the
initial site to travel to other places in the body.
Keep Healthy and Active
If you're worried about your own risks of endometrial
cancer, be sure that you don't just rely on the health benefits of coffee. You
should aim to maintain a healthy weight, and be as active as possible,
especially in the years after menopause.
Both these lifestyle choices will address one of the
major risk factors for endometrial cancer - carrying too much weight. By eating
a diet that's low in saturated fats, with lots of fruits and veggies you'll
bring down the risk of this, and perhaps other dangerous forms of cancer.