Cancer
Coffee consumption and breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers
Moderate coffee consumption may reduce risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women
Research to date has shown that coffee consumption is not linked to an increased risk of breast cancer5, 26, and no association between coffee consumption and the incidence of breast cancer has been found in post-menopausal women9-11,27,28.
However, in pre-menopausal women, the consumption of around 4 cups of coffee a day has been associated with a 38% lower risk of breast cancer9. This effect seems to be even greater in pre-menopausal women at high risk (because they carry the BRCA1 and BRCA2mutation), as a reduction in risk of 25-70% with daily consumption of 4-6 cups of coffee29has been reported.
Studies have also shown an interaction of coffee with another genetic variable related to breast cancer, with a 64% reduction in risk of breast cancer reported in women with a specific genotype* but no effect in women with a different genotype30.
These studies highlight the potential importance of individual genetic variability on diet-disease associations.
* A genotype is the genetic make-up of a cell, an organism or an individual, usually with reference to a specific character under consideration.
No effect of coffee on ovarian cancer
A recent meta-analysis of studies found no effect of coffee consumption on the development of ovarian cancer31. More research is needed to confirm these findings.
Moderate coffee consumption may reduce risk of endometrial cancer
Coffee drinkers are thought to be 20% less likely to develop endometrial cancer than non-coffee drinkers32. Studies show that this effect is even more pronounced in those drinking over 4 cups of coffee a day, where the risk could be up to 49% lower.
Further recent studies have all reached the same conclusion, finding a dose-dependent relationship5, 33-35.
More research is needed to confirm these results.
