Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, and its rates are on the rise, especially in low- and middle-income countries. While many studies have examined the connection between coffee or tea consumption and the risk of developing HNC, the results have been mixed.
In light of the growing global impact of HNC, this study aims to explore further how drinking coffee and tea might affect the risk of developing these cancers. A recent review of data from over a dozen studies found that regular consumption of coffee and tea was associated with a reduced risk of head and neck cancers, including those of the mouth and throat.
In a study that looked at data from 14 research projects by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium, participants shared how much coffee and tea they typically drank. The study involved 9,548 people with head and neck cancer and 15,783 cancer-free individuals for comparison.
The findings revealed that drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee a day was linked to a 17% lower overall risk of head and neck cancer, a 30% lower risk of oral cavity cancer, and a 22% lower risk of throat cancer. Additionally, drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee daily was associated with a 41% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer in the lower part of the throat.
Drinking decaffeinated coffee was associated with a 25% lower risk of oral cavity cancer. In comparison, tea drinking was linked to a 29% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer, a type of cancer in the lower throat. Consuming up to one cup of tea daily reduced the overall risk of head and neck cancer by 9% and hypopharyngeal cancer by 27%. However, drinking more than one cup of tea a day was linked to a 38% higher risk of laryngeal cancer.
Senior author Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, PhD, of Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah School of Medicine said, “While there has been prior research on coffee and tea consumption and reduced risk of cancer, this study highlighted their varying effects with different sub-sites of head and neck cancer, including the observation that even decaffeinated coffee had some positive impact.”
“Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex, and these findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk.”
Journal Reference:
- Timothy Nguyen, Alzina Koric, Chun-Pin Chang, Christine Barul et al. Coffee and Tea Consumption and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: An Updated Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Cancer. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35620