Strong caffeine may reduce risk of skin cancer

A study of nearly 113,000 people has found that those who drink the most caffeinated coffee were least likely to develop basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.

Basal cell carcinomas account for about eight in 10 cases of skin cancer and typically develop in sun-exposed areas such as the head and neck.

“Given the large number of newly diagnosed cases, daily dietary changes having any protective effect may have an impact on public health,” study author Dr Jiali Han of Harvard Medical School in Boston says.

Dr Han’s team determined about 22,800 people developed basal cell carcinoma during the 20-plus year follow-up portion of the study.

People who drank more than three cups of coffee were 17% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma compared with those who had less than one cup a month.

After factoring in other skin cancer risk factors such as hair colour and sunburn history, the researchers determined that women who drank the most caffeine were 18% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma and men were 13% less likely, compared with their counterparts who consumed the least.

A similar reduction in skin cancer risk was observed in people who took in caffeine from other sources such as tea, cola and chocolate.

– Cancer Research

… but boosts pregnancy failure
Drinking large amounts of coffee may hurt a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a new study from Denmark suggests.

In the study, women who drank more than five cups of coffee a day were 50% less likely to become pregnant through IVF than those who did not drink coffee.

The findings suggest that drinking large amounts of coffee is comparable to smoking in terms of the detriment to IVF success. However, the study only found an association, and not a cause-effect link.

And because there has been limited research on the effects of coffee on IVF, more work is needed to confirm the results.

In the study, Dr Ulrik Schioler Kesmodel, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues analysed information from nearly 4000 women who underwent IVF at a large clinic.

The findings were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.