Study: 3 Cups of Coffee Reduce Endometrial Cancer Risk by 19%

Drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee every day decreased the risk of developing endometrial cancer by about a fifth, according to a recent study.

While the ultimate cause of endometrial cancer is still unclear, past studies suggested that diabetes, obesity, hormonal imbalances, and unhealthy diet are contributors.
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For their study, researchers evaluated 1303 women with endometrial cancer from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. The participants were asked to complete dietary questionnaires and the researchers monitored the impact of 84 different foods and nutrients on endometrial cancer risk.

The study showed that 9 foods and nutrients were associated with endometrial cancer risk: yogurt, butter, cheese, potatoes, monosaturated fat, phosphorus, carbohydrates, and coffee.

Then, researchers analyzed the dietary questionnaires of 1531 women with endometrial cancer who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) or Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII).

After evaluating the impact of consumption of 9 foods and nutrients on the risk of endometrial cancer for the NHS/NHSII cohorts, the researchers discovered that drinking 4 cups of coffee a day reduced endometrial cancer risk by 18% compared to participants who did not drink coffee.

Further, in the EPIC study researchers found a 19% reduced risk of endometrial cancer from consuming 3 cups of coffee a day compared to the women who drank less than 1 cup of coffee daily.

“Our findings suggest that coffee intake may be inversely associated with endometrial cancer risk. Further data are needed to confirm these findings and to examine the mechanisms linking coffee intake to endometrial cancer risk to develop improved prevention strategies,” said the study’s authors.

The complete study is published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

Merritt MA, Tzoulaki I, Tworoger SS, et al. Investigation of dietary factors and endometrial cancer risk using a nutrient-wide association study approach in the EIPIC and Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Cancer Epidimol Biomarkers Prev. 2015 February [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-14-0970.