Friday, August 10, 2007

Drinking More Coffee May Decrease Risk of Renal and Hepatocellular Cance

Pooled data from 13 prospective studies have shown that increased intake of coffee and tea appears to decrease the risk of developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The details of this study appeared in an early on line publication in the International Journal of Cancer on June 21, 2007.[1] A separate meta-analysis of ten studies, published in the August, 2007 issue of Hepatology suggested that coffee drinking also decreased the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).[2]

An important focus of research in prevention of cancer and other diseases is diet. Several studies have indicated that diets high in fruit and vegetables may provide certain health benefits compared with diets higher in meats and processed foods. Researchers continue to evaluate this issue, as disease prevention remains a significant goal. Recently, researchers have focused on coffee as a possible agent for the reduction of HCC and tea, especially green tea, as an agent for reduction of a variety of cancers.

Researchers from several institutions around the world were involved in a clinical study to evaluate associations between coffee, tea, milk, soda, and fruit and vegetable juice intake and risks of developing RCC. This study included results from 13 studies including 530,469 women and 244,483 men. Follow-up was between seven and 20 years. Information about diet was gathered at the beginning of the trial.

* Individuals who drank three or more 8-ounce cups of coffee per day had a reduced risk of developing RCC compared with those who drank less than one 8-ounce cup per day.

* Individuals who drank one or more 8-ounce cups of tea per day had a reduced risk of developing RCC compared with those who did not drink tea.

* There were no associations between milk, soda, or juice intake.

The researchers concluded that “greater consumption of coffee and tea may be associated with a lower risk of renal cell cancer.” These results add to existing evidence suggesting that intake of coffee and tea does not appear to contribute to the risk of developing cancers.

Coffee drinking has been associated with a lower risk of HCC in studies from Japan (see related news). Researchers from Italy recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate data regarding potential associations between coffee consumption and the risk of HCC, as results from several studies have indicated that coffee reduces the risk of HCC. This study included data from 10 studies conducted in southern Europe and Japan.

• The more coffee individuals drank, the more their risk of HCC was reduced.

• For each additional cup of coffee an individual drank per day, the risk of HCC was reduced by 23%.

• Overall, individuals who were coffee drinkers had a 41% reduced risk of developing HCC compared with those who did not drink coffee.

The researchers concluded that these results provide further evidence that coffee reduces the risk of developing HCC. Furthermore, greater consumption reduces the risk of HCC even further. However, excessive coffee drinking may carry its own risks in individuals with specific medical conditions, so patients may wish to discuss their individual risks and benefits of drinking coffee with their physician.

Comments: These observations suggest that coffee and tea drinking may lower the risk of RCC and HCC but the mechanisms of these effects are unknown.

References:

[1] Lee J, Hunter D, Spiegelman D, et al. Intakes of coffee, tea, milk, soda and juice and renal cell cancer in a pooled analysis of 13 prospective studies. International Journal of Cancer. [early online publication]. June 21, 2007. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.22909.

[2] Bravi F, Bosetti C, Tavani A, et al. Coffee drinking and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a meta-analysis. Hepatology. 2007;46: 430–435

Related News:

Coffee Drinking Lowers the Risk of Liver Cancer in Japanese (06/06/2005)

Habitual Coffee Drinking Reduces Hepatocellular Cancer in Japanese (02/17/2005)

Tea Consumption Associated with a Decreased Incidence of Ovarian Cancer (12/27/2005)

Green Tea Intake Associated With Lower Incidence of Breast Cancer (12/05/2005)

Green Tea Does Not Appear Effective for Treating Androgen Dependent Metastatic Prostate Cancer (05/02/2002

this article was first published by the CancerConsultants.com on 08/10/2007