Can drinking coffee or tea have a protective effect against certain types of head and neck cancer, such as mouth and throat cancer? According to a recent meta-analysis, published in the journal ‘Cancer‘, Yeah. This analysis reviews data from 14 studies conducted by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium, involving more than 25,000 participants from around the world.
The study concludes that consuming more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee per day is associated with a 17% lower risk of head and neck cancer overall, a 30% lower risk of oral cavity cancer, and a 22% lower risk of oral cavity cancer. risk of throat cancer.
Furthermore, according to researchers at the University of Utah (US), consuming 3 to 4 cups of coffee reduced the risk of hypopharyngeal (lower throat) cancer by 41%.
For people who prefer decaffeinated coffee, there is also good news. Coffee consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of oral cancer.
As for tea, consuming one cup or less per day was associated with a 9% lower risk of head and neck cancer and a 27% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. However, drinking more than one cup a day was linked to a 38% increased risk of laryngeal cancer.
The doctor Yuan-Chin Amy Leelead author of the study, highlights that even decaffeinated coffee showed positive effects, underscoring the need for continued research to better understand the relationship between these drinks and cancer risk.
In this sense, Josep Maria Borràsdirector of Catalan Oncology Plancalls the meta-analysis “rigorously conducted” and supports the robustness of its conclusions: “The data reinforce the consistency of the inverse relationship between head and neck cancer risk and coffee consumption,” he tells Science Media Center.
However, it warns that these drinks should not be promoted as preventive measures, but rather considered part of consumption habits without significant risks.
healthy lifestyle
On the other hand, Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of the King’s College Londonhighlights the inherent limitations of observational studies, such as potential confounding factors, including alcohol and tobacco use. He emphasizes that definitive causality cannot be established from these results, but acknowledged that the findings are reassuring for coffee and tea consumers.
Although these results are promising, experts agree that They are not sufficient reason to drastically modify consumption habits.. Coffee and tea, especially in moderate amounts, could be part of a healthy lifestyle, but their impact on cancer prevention needs to continue to be further investigated.
This study marks an important step in understanding the factors that could contribute to reducing the risk of head and neck cancer, a group of diseases whose incidence is increasing in low- and middle-income countries.
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