Coffee lowers breast cancer risk

Women with BRCA1 gene mutations, which confer a high risk of developing breast cancer, might decrease their risk by drinking a lot of coffee. Researchers from the University of Toronto, Ontario, examined the association between coffee consumption and the risk of breast cancer among 1690 high-risk women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. The study included women from 40 clinical centres in four countries. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the average lifetime coffee consumption. The likelihood of developing breast cancer among BRCA mutation carriers who drank 1 to 3 cups of coffee daily, 4 to 5 cups, or 6 or more cups was reduced by 10 percent, 25 percent and 69 percent, respectively, compared to those who drank no coffee. When the researchers classified the women by mutation status, they found significant protection from coffee for women with a BRCA1 mutation, but not for carriers of a BRCA2 mutation. They note that coffee is an important source of phyto-oestrogens, which may have protective effects. The mechanism by which phyto-oestrogens may beneficially influence the risk of breast cancer has predominantly been attributed to their structural similarity to endogenous oestrogens and their ability to bind to oestrogen receptors.