Good buzz: coffee may reduce breast cancer risk

Relaxnews
Friday 13 May 2011 00:00 BST
Comments
(Grant Terry/shutterstock.com)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Coffee can give you a jolt of caffeine, but a new study published May 11 suggests that heavy daily consumption may also reduce the risk of developing a certain type of breast cancer.

Study results found that women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day are 57 percent less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than women who drink less than a cup of coffee a day, said study researcher Jingmei Li, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, in a statement. Estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer is just one kind of breast cancer, and its growth is not dictacted by estrogen.

This study supports a German study that found a similar trend, but the “relationship was much weaker” Li said. However, health news source MyHealthNewsDaily cites conflicting research: A review of studies published last year showed that coffee had a protective effect on endometrial and colorectal cancers, but no benefits for breast, pancreatic, ovarian, or prostate cancers.

In research published earlier this year, scientists discovered that drinking four cups of coffee a day can slash your risk for Type 2 diabetes in half.

"I wouldn't necessarily tell my patients after reading an article like this to drink more than five cups of coffee a day to lower your risk of a particular type of breast cancer," said Dr. Michelle Shayne, an oncologist at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, in an interview with MyHealthNewsDaily. "It's just that if you happen to enjoy coffee consumption, you may possibly have an added benefit of protection against one subtype of breast cancer."

The study, published the journal Breast Cancer Research, can be accessed here: http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/13/3/R49

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in