Coffee as mouth protector: four cups of coffee a day reduce the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancers

A study conducted at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, has found a reduced risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer in individuals who consume coffee. In fact, the study found that those who drink four or more cups of coffee a day run a 39 percent reduced risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer compared to those who do not consume coffee

The research was based on a combined analysis of nine studies conducted in Europe and America, with a total of 5,139 cases and 9,028 controls. The analysis was published inCancerEpidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and its author, Carlotta Galeone, a researcher at the Institute, received the Giulio Maccacaro Award.

"This study," comments Silvio Garattini, director of Mario Negri, in a note, "confirms that coffee has a favorable role in contrasting oral cavity neoplasms. Considering the abundant consumption of the beverage worldwide and the high incidence of oral cancers, this favorable effect is of considerable public health significance."