Drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce risk of basal cell carcinoma

Drinking caffeinated coffee can help reduce the risk of basal cell cancer, a common skin cancer, according to a study completed by researchers at Harvard Medical School.

The researchers analyzed data from 112000 people who took part in the Health Occupational follow-up study and the Nurses' Health study over a period of more than 20 years. Women who drank more than three cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 21 per cent lower risk of basal cell cancer than those who drank less than one cup a month; for similar men, the risk was reduced by 10 per cent.

They also found that regular consumption of caffeinated tea or chocolate had the same effect, but did not reduce the risk of squamous cell cancer, melanoma and other skin cancers; there was no association between drinking non-caffeinated coffee and the risk of basal cell cancer.

The study was published this week in the American Journal of Cancer Research. Previous mouse experiments have shown that caffeine can inhibit tumor growth, and this study suggests that caffeine may have a similar effect in humans, the researchers said.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin malignant tumor, which often occurs in the face. In foreign countries, more than half of skin cancer patients suffer from basal cell carcinoma. According to the National Cancer Institute, about one million people in the United States are treated for basal cell cancer each year.