Diana Vilibert January 21, 2015
Coffee lovers don’t have to look very hard for evidence that their morning (and afternoon) cup is good for them. The effects of coffee on health have been researched for years, and it’s been praised for everything from preventing diabetes and protecting against Alzheimer’s to lowering the risk of heart disease and protecting against Parkinson’s disease.
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| Coffee anyone |
And a new study published this week points to yet another reason not to kick the habit: it may protect against some skin cancers. The study, the largest to date of the link between coffee consumption and melanoma, tracked over 447,000 retirees over the course of 10 years. Researchers gathered data on the amount of sunlight in the participants’ hometowns, while participants reported on cancer risk factors like exercise, body mass index, and alcohol consumption…and of course, their coffee consumption.
The magic number? Four. Participants who drank four cups of (non-decaf) coffee per day were 20 percent less likely to develop malignant melanoma compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. Though the link with caffeinated versus decaf could be due to chance, according to study researcher Erikka Loftfield, it’s possible that caffeine itself (or another compound found in caffeinated coffee) could be offering protection. “Our results, and some from other recent studies, should provide reassurance to coffee consumers that drinking coffee is not a risky thing to do,” Loftfield told Live Science. Want to make your four cups a day even healthier? Stick to organic coffee to avoid crops that have been sprayed with pesticides and skip flavored syrups loaded with high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.
And if you’re sticking to decaf, you’ll still get major health benefits—those who drink three or more cups daily showed lower levels of four enzymes that cause poor liver function, according to a study published in October 2014.
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