Japan
study finds coffee may prevent colon cancer
Wed Aug 1, 2007 5:22am
ET
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TOKYO
(Reuters)
- Drinking three or more cups of coffee a
day may cut the risk of colon cancer in women
by half, according to a study by Japanese
scientists.
Researchers
from Tokyo's National Cancer Center studied
data from more than 96,000 men and women aged
between 40-69 over a period of up to 12 years
from 1990, a member of the team said on Wednesday.
They found no significant benefit in men.
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Even
after adjusting for other factors including diet and
exercise, they found that women who drank three or
more cups of coffee a day had half the risk of developing
colon cancer, compared with those who drank no coffee
at all.
The
researchers, whose findings have been published in
the International Journal of Cancer, did not find
any link between consumption of green tea and colon
cancer.
"In Japan, almost all the male population drinks
alcohol and there are a large number of smokers,"
said Manami Inoue of the research team. "There
may be some benefit from coffee for men, but it may
be that we were unable to adjust for these factors."
The mechanism by which coffee may prevent cancer is
unknown, Inoue said. The caffeine it contains could
stimulate the working of the colon, or the effect
could be due to coffee's antioxidant properties, she
said.
"Some
people cannot tolerate caffeine, so they should not
force themselves to drink coffee. But for people who
like it, there is no reason to give it up," Inoue
said.
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