MILAN – Higher coffee consumption is linked with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, a type of cancer that begins in the lining of uterus, according to an analysis of relevant studies published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research. Also, caffeinated coffee may provide better protection than decaffeinated coffee.
The analysis, which appears in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, included 24 studies on coffee intake with 9,833 new cases of this kind of cancer occurring in 699,234 individuals.
Yu Gao, of the departments of obstetrics and gynecology at Liangxiang Hospital of Beijing Fangshan District and at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, both in Beijing, and colleagues reviewed 24 observational studies that included 9,833 incident cases of endometrial cancer and 699,234 patients.
There were 12 case-control studies (4,022 cases; 19,839 subjects) and 12 prospective cohort studies (5,811 cases; 679,395 subjects) investigating the association between coffee consumption and the risk for endometrial cancer.
People in the highest category of intake had a 29% lower relative risk of developing endometrial cancer than those in the lowest category.
The authors of the analysis highlight several mechanisms that have been associated with the potential anti-cancer effects of coffee. “Further studies with large sample size are needed… to obtain more information regarding the benefits of coffee drinking in relation to the risk of endometrial cancer,” they wrote.
