While a sugar and creamer-filled cup of coffee can easily set anyone's diet back, new research is beginning to show us that there might be many benefits to drinking this favorite bean-based hot beverage. Aside from a morning pick-me-up, according to new research from Yale University and the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), drinking coffee everyday could reduce your for malignant melanoma skin cancer.
More than 5 million people in the United States are affected by skin cancer each and every year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, claims approximately one life every hour. However, despite being the most rare form of skin cancer, melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Eighty-six percent of melanoma skin cancer can be attributed directly to exposure from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
But, if you are a coffee drinker, your chances of developing a malignant melanoma are reduced, according to lead researcher Erikka Loftfield. Loftfield and her team evaluated over 400,000 study participants over an average of 10.5 years, comparing the rates of melanoma to the frequency of foods. At the end of the study, the team of researchers determined that the more caffeinated coffee an individual drank each day, the lower their risk for developing malignant melanoma. For example, drinking four cups of coffee each day was enough to lower the risk by an incredible 20 percent.
"Higher coffee intake was associated with a modest decrease in risk of melanoma in this large US cohort study," Loftfield says. "Additional investigations of coffee intake and its constituents, particularly caffeine, with melanoma are warranted...Because of its melanoma's) high disease burden, lifestyle modifications with even modest protective effects may have a meaningful impact on melanoma morbidity."
Loftfield emphasized that while there is a benefit to drinking coffee in regards to malignant melanoma, it should not be used as an excuse to go out in the sun without the proper protection.
"The most important thing that individuals can do to reduce their risk of melanoma is to reduce sun and UV radiation exposure," Loftfield says.
Scientists continue to find more and more evidence that coffee may not be an unhealthy as originally believed. There is also substantial data available showing that coffee can reduce the risk of dying from scarring of the liver, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer, and reduce the risk of tinnitus.
However, because of the adverse reactions some people have to the stimulant, it is important that you discuss with your doctor the benefits and the drawbacks of adding coffee to your daily routine before you make your next stop at the local coffee shop.
