Coffee and Cancer

Researchers have been investigating the links between coffee and cancer for decades. But there is still a lot they don’t know. In 2016, an expert panel convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – the arm of the World Health Organization that is responsible for assessing whether certain substances cause cancer – could not conclude that drinking coffee is carcinogenic based on the current evidence available.

And now the coffee-cancer connection is in the news again. A California court ruling last week about a coffee warning related to a chemical formed during the roasting process (called acrylamide) has raised questions among consumers.

So, what do coffee drinkers need to know? In this interview, American Cancer Society researchers, Susan Gapstur, PhD, and Marjorie McCullough, ScD, provide insights into what studies to date really show when it comes to coffee and cancer, and discuss what other research is still needed.  SOURCE:  American Cancer Society

Personal Note:  I have consumed coffee all my life, starting in 1966 when I enrolled in college in NC and started meeting others who liked coffee and conversation.  My coffee was always black and my desire for coffee grew over the years.  Around the age of 50, I changed to decaf coffee (still black) but around the age of 60, I started adding Cappuccino Mix Powder which I am still doing.  However, I pretty much only drink coffee in the mornings and primarily this is done to stimulate the bowels and it works 99% of the time

Returning to the interview and cutting to the chase:

Q. What is the bottom line when it comes to coffee – should people be worried about drinking it?

A. Overall, it seems that there may be health benefits to coffee drinking, but the risks remain unclear. Further research is needed to more fully understand the biologic mechanisms underlying associations of coffee drinking, acrylamide exposure, and cancer risk.

Coffee Lovers and Cancer

According to the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY...  

Most Americans drink at least 1 cup of coffee a day, and many feel like they can’t face the morning without it. So wouldn’t it be great if our beloved beverage helped protect us from cancer? There is, in fact, some reason to believe it could. Coffee is brewed from beans that contain antioxidants, which are thought to have a protective effect against cancer.

Researchers have conducted more than 1,000 studies looking at this question, with mixed results. Some early studies seemed to show that coffee might increase risk of some cancer types. Since then, however, larger and better designed studies have weakened those conclusions. And many of the newer studies link coffee drinking to a lowered risk of some types of cancer, including prostate cancer, liver cancer, endometrial cancer, and some cancers of the mouth and throat.

But in some of these studies, the benefit was found in people who drank 4 to 6 cups of coffee a day, which is a lot. Too much caffeine can interfere with sleep, trigger migraines, and cause digestive problems. And if you take your coffee with cream and sugar, the added fat and calories can contribute to weight gain – which increases the risk for many types of cancer. According to Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, American Cancer Society managing director of nutrition and physical activity, the surest steps any of us can take to lower cancer risk are: don’t smoke, eat well, and be physically active.

And if you want to consume more antioxidants, consider adding more vegetables and fruits to your diet. Vegetables and fruits are rich sources of antioxidants, and studies show that people who eat more of them may be helping to lower their cancer risk.