Coffee link to reduced cancer risk

Women should drink two cups of coffee a day to lower their risk of endometrial cancer, especially women whose body mass index (BMI) classifies them as either overweight or obese, according to a new Swedish study.

Endometrial cancer may be any one of several types of cancer affecting the cells that line the uterus, occuring within a few decades of menopause and associated with high levels of oestrogen.

The Swedish team, led by study author Emilie Friberg, surveyed 60,634 Swedish women between the years of 1987 and 1990.

In 1997, the same women were surveyed a second time, where possible.

After 17 years, some 1% of the women surveyed had gone on to develop endometrial cancer.

However, among women who drank at least 2 cups of coffee a day, rates of endometrial cancer were much lower.

The authors of the study worked out that each cup of coffee per day equated to a 10% lowering of endometrial cancer risk.

Since overweight and obese women have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer on average, each cup of coffee consumed per day resulted in a 12% lowered risk and 20% lowered risk, respectively.

Although the finding has not yet been shown true for women around the world, the researchers believe that their results have to do with the way coffee intake affects blood sugar levels, oestrogen, and body fat.

Friberg said that a study also including decaffeinated coffee would make it possible to separate the effect of coffee and caffeine.

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