Coffee May Reduce Risk of Developing Most Common Form of Skin Cancer

Tue, Aug 18, 15 by Jim Couch

New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School indicates that drinking your daily cup of coffee may reduce the risk of developing a certain type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

Nearly one million new cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S., making it the most common form of the disease.  In this study, the amount of caffeine consumed was inversely associated with risk, meaning higher consumption of coffee indicated lower risk of skin cancer.  Decaffeinated coffee was not associated with the lower skin cancer risk, suggesting that the caffeine is a main preventative factor.

This study was conducted on 113,000 adults over more than 20 years, and the women’s risk was lowered by about 20% for those who drank three cups of coffee per day compared to those who drank less than one.  For men, the risk was lowered by about 9 percent.  Researchers find this study very encouraging for the prevention of skin cancer….just another great benefit of drinking coffee!!