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Risk for Head and Neck Cancer Lower for Coffee and Tea Drinkers

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 23, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2024 -- Coffee and tea drinkers have a reduced risk for head and neck cancer (HNC), according to research published online Dec. 23 in Cancer.

Timothy Nguyen, M.P.H., from the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a pooled analysis of 9,548 HNC cases and 15,783 controls from 14 individual-level case-control studies. The odds ratios for HNC and its subsites were examined, adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

The researchers found that drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily was inversely associated with HNC, oral cavity cancer, and oropharyngeal cancers (odds ratios, 0.83, 0.70, and 0.78, respectively). Inverse associations were also seen for drinking three to four cups of caffeinated coffee with hypopharyngeal cancer (odds ratio, 0.59) and for drinking decaffeinated coffee and drinking between more than none and less than one cup daily with oral cavity cancer (odds ratios, 0.75 and 0.66, respectively). An inverse association was seen for drinking tea with hypopharyngeal cancer (odds ratio, 0.71). Inverse associations were also seen for daily tea consumption of more than none to no more than one cup with HNC and hypopharyngeal cancer (odds ratios, 0.91 and 0.73, respectively), while drinking more than one cup was positively associated with laryngeal cancer (odds ratio, 1.38).

"Our findings support associations on the protective effects of coffee and tea consumption on HNC risk," the authors write. "Further studies should assess the effects of coffee and tea consumption in regions beyond North America and Europe, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries burdened by HNC, as well as including different coffee and tea types and processing styles."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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