New Study: Drinking Coffee May Not Protect Against Colorectal Cancer

Drinking coffee may not provide the protective effect against colorectal cancer suggested by previous studies, according to researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

In the largest study of coffee consumption and colorectal cancer to date, researchers examined data on more than 61,000 Swedish women ages 40 to 74. All women were cancer-free at the start of the study, and had a wide range of coffee consumption, according to the study published in the journal Gut.

During a follow-up period averaging 9.6 years, the researchers found that women who drank 4 or more cups of coffee daily had no lower risk of developing colorectal cancer than women who never or rarely drank coffee.

The researchers concluded that the evidence suggests that moderate or even high consumption of coffee does not influence the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Other sources: GUT, British Medical Association