A cup of coffee a day 'halves cancer risk'

London, Dec 18 (ANI): A cup of coffee a day can halve the risk of cancers affecting the mouth and gullet, according to Japanese scientists.

To reach the conclusion, the researchers tracked patients for 13 years and found that those drinking at least one cup a day were much less likely to get tumours than those who hardly ever drank coffee.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study claims daily caffeine hit could help minimise some of the risk from alcohol and tobacco, the main causes of the cancers, reports the Daily Express.

According to researchers at the Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan, chemicals found in caffeine protect the body's DNA against damage that can lead to cancer.

Researchers into the effects of coffee studied 40,000 people aged 40 to 64 over a 13-year period with 157 of the volunteers developing mouth or gullet cancer.

Analysis of diet and lifestyle found those drinking at least one coffee a day were 49 per cent less likely to be affected.

The scientists said in their report: "One of the most significant findings was the inverse association between coffee and those at high risk of these cancers, namely current drinkers and smokers.

"Although quitting alcohol and smoking is the best known way to help reduce the risk, coffee could be a preventive factor." (ANI)