According to a recent study, people who drink hot coffee or tea on a regular basis may be at an increased risk of developing throat cancer because hot liquids can damage the lining of the esophagus.
Coffee Consumption of Participants in the Study
The research, which was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, examined genetic data from over 580,000 people in the United Kingdom and Finland. Cambridge University researchers compared participants not based on their reported level of coffee consumption but on whether they had genetic variants that predispose them to increasing or decreasing coffee or tea consumption.
Researchers conducted the analysis in this manner to account for variables that may have skewed previous research results, such as coffee drinkers consuming more alcohol than non-coffee drinkers, which could explain an increased risk of cancer. However, it is important to take note, the genes linked to coffee and tea consumption are unrelated to alcohol consumption.
The Effect of Hot Coffee in Esophageal Cancer Development
According to the study, people with a genetic score associated with a 50% increase in coffee consumption had 2.8 times the risk of esophageal cancer as non-drinkers. Participants who preferred their coffee hot had a 5.5-fold increase in risk, while those who preferred it very hot had a 4.1-fold increase in risk. On the other hand, warm coffee drinkers had a 2.7-fold increase in risk of developing esophageal cancer.
The results of the study, which are significant, reveal that drinking coffee and tea did not seem to raise the risk of any other types of cancer. Instead of coffee or caffeine directly causing cancer, researchers claim the physical harm to the body's digestive system caused by the hot drink may be the cause of an elevated risk of throat cancer.
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Coffee Does Not Cause Cancer
The study's author, Stephen Burgess, said in a statement that while a connection with any cancer type is unwelcome, their examination usually offers positive news for coffee users because there was no proof that coffee drinking causes any significant cancer types.
Esophageal cancer is a relatively uncommon kind of cancer, accounting for about 1% of all cancer cases in the United States, despite a 20% overall survival rate.
Earlier research on the benefits and drawbacks of coffee use has been inconsistent. Recent studies have revealed that moderate coffee drinking is linked to a higher life expectancy. On the other hand, regular coffee drinkers had a 5%-12% lower risk of getting heart failure than non-drinkers, based on the Framingham and Cardiovascular Health studies.
Regarding coffee's impact on heart rhythm, one study published in Heart.org, found no proof that drinking it causes any abnormal heartbeats in the atria, the upper chambers of the heart. However, they did discover that drinking coffee could result in the heart's lowest chambers, the ventricles, skipping beats. These PVCs are widespread and typically thought to be benign and safe.
The effects of coffee on diabetes have also had mixed results. Some research suggests that consuming coffee may cause you to become more insulin resistant, which would increase your blood sugar levels. In contrast, according to certain other studies, long-term daily coffee drinking may have the opposite impact.
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