Summary:
An analysis of data from 14 studies suggests that coffee and tea consumption, including both caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties, is associated with a reduced risk of developing head and neck cancers, including cancers of the mouth, throat, and hypopharynx. The study found that drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily lowered the overall risk of head and neck cancer, with significant reductions in the risk of oral cavity, throat, and hypopharyngeal cancers. Drinking tea was also linked to a reduced risk, though excessive tea consumption may increase the risk of laryngeal cancer. The study emphasizes the varying effects of coffee and tea on different subtypes of head and neck cancer.
Key Takeaways:
- Coffee and Tea Consumption Linked to Lower Cancer Risk: Drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily was associated with a reduced risk of developing head and neck cancers, including those of the mouth and throat.
- Decaffeinated Coffee Also Provides Benefits: Decaffeinated coffee was found to lower the odds of oral cavity cancer by 25%.
- Moderation in Tea Consumption: Drinking one cup or less of tea daily was linked to a reduced risk of head and neck cancer, but consuming more than one cup increased the risk of laryngeal cancer.
In a recent analysis of data from more than a dozen studies, coffee and tea consumption was linked with lower risks of developing head and neck cancer, including cancers of the mouth and throat.
The findings are published online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, and rates are rising in low- and middle-income countries. Many studies have assessed whether drinking coffee or tea is associated with head and neck cancer, with inconsistent results.
New Insights from Pooled Study Data
To provide additional insight, investigators examined data from 14 studies by different scientists associated with the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium, a collaboration of research groups around the globe. Study participants completed questionnaires about their prior consumption of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea in cups per day/week/month/year.
When investigators pooled information on 9,548 patients with head and neck cancer and 15,783 controls without cancer, they found that compared with non-coffee-drinkers, individuals who drank more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily had 17% lower odds of having head and neck cancer overall, 30% lower odds of having cancer of the oral cavity, and 22% lower odds of having throat cancer. Drinking three to four cups of caffeinated coffee was linked with a 41% lower risk of having hypopharyngeal cancer (a type of cancer at the bottom of the throat).
Drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with 25% lower odds of oral cavity cancer.
Drinking tea was linked with 29% lower odds of hypopharyngeal cancer. Also, drinking one cup or less of tea daily was linked with a 9% lower risk of head and neck cancer overall and a 27% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer, but drinking more than one cup was associated with 38% higher odds of laryngeal cancer.
“While there has been prior research on coffee and tea consumption and reduced risk of cancer, this study highlighted their varying effects with different sub-sites of head and neck cancer, including the observation that even decaffeinated coffee had some positive impact,” says senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, PhD, of Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah School of Medicine, in a release. “Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex, and these findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk.”
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