Are you looking for another reason to drink a cup of coffee each morning?  According to research conducted in Japan and recently reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, drinking coffee on a regular basis may actually reduce your chance of getting oral cancer as well as esophageal or pharyngeal cancer.

The Study

In order to conduct the study, researchers took a closer look at those individuals who drank at least one cup of coffee each day.  In all, they studied 38,000 people between the ages of 40 and 64, all of which had no history of cancer.  In addition, the study spanned 13 years of data, so the study was certainly quite extensive.

At the end of the study, researchers found that those who consumed at least one cup of coffee per day were 50% less likely to develop oral cancer, esophageal or pharyngeal cancer.  Even those who engaged in other high-risk behaviors, such as drinking an excessive amount of alcohol or smoking, were found to have a decreased risk of developing these cancers if they drank at least one cup of coffee per day.

Explaining the Results

Unfortunately, researchers are not certain why drinking a cup of Joe seems to help reduce the risk of developing certain oral cancers.  Some researchers do believe, however, that caffeine is actually able to suppress the growth of tumor cells.  In fact, similar studies have been conducted in the past and have concluded that drinking a moderate amount of coffee appears to reduce the chances of developing liver cancer.

While scientists are not quite ready to recommend drinking coffee as a method for preventing cancer, it is certainly nice to know that your favorite drink may be doing you more good than just providing you with a little pick-me-up in the morning.  But, should drinking coffee be your first line of defense against cancer?

Preventing Oral Cancer

Although drinking coffee has been linked to helping reduce your chances of developing various forms of oral cancer, there are other methods you can use as well.  Namely, eating a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables will also help you minimize your risk.  Furthermore, it is essential for you to receive good dental hygiene care on a regular basis.  In fact, getting a check-up from your dentist once every six months is one of the best ways to prevent oral cancers and to treat them at their earliest stages when they are still the most treatable.

You should also keep in mind that consuming large amounts of coffee and caffeine is not necessary to reap the cancer-preventing rewards.  Rather, drinking too much coffee has been linked to a number of health issues such as anxiety, insomnia and miscarriage in women who are in the early stages of their pregnancy.  Just drinking one or two cups of brew each day should be enough to give you the extra boost of energy you need while also helping you enjoy the other health benefits that coffee may very well be able to provide!

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