Coffee and tea to keep cancer away

Women who drink a few cups of coffee and tea each day may have a lower risk of endometrial cancer. Endometrial cancer arises in the lining of the uterus. Risk factors include older age, obesity and factors that expose women to more estrogen, such as late menopause and estrogen therapy after menopause. Several studies have investigated the associations between diet and endometrial cancer, but few have focused specifically on coffee and tea. To examine the associations between endometrial cancer risk and consumption of coffee, decaffeinated coffee and black tea, researches from America studied 541 women with endometrial cancer and 541 women with an intact uterus but without a cancer diagnosis. It was found that women who drank more than four cups of coffee and tea each day were only half as likely as non-drinkers to have endometrial cancer. Similarly, women who drank only tea - more than two cups per day - had a 45 per cent lower risk of the disease. Women who drank coffee alone showed a lower risk as well, but the evidence was not as strong. Those who drank more than two cups a day were 30 per cent less likely to have endometrial cancer. The researchers attributed the findings to the theory that caffeine induces certain enzymes that help neutralise potentially cancer-causing substances in the body. Also, both coffee and tea contain various antioxidant compounds like flavonoids, catechins and isoflavones, which help protect body cells from damage that can eventually lead to cancer. However, the above findings show only an association between coffee and tea and lower endometrial cancer risk. The question of whether the beverages are responsible for the benefit requires further research.

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