Can Coffee Reduce The Risk of Breast Cancer

Coffee is good for you; coffee is bad for you. It seems scientific research flip-flops a lot on whether the humble coffee bean helps or hinders our health.

A new study fresh out of Lund University, and published in Clinical Cancer Research has confirmed numerous other studies that say coffee guards against breast cancer.

What did the new study find?

The Lund University research adds another layer to the growing evidence of coffee's efficacy for women with breast cancer.

It found that coffee hinders tumor growth and can even reduce the chances of breast cancer reoccurring in women who have been treated previously with drug tamoxifen.

Halving the risk of recurrence

The study looked at 500 women in Sweden who had received tamoxifen treatment. Women in the group who consumed two or more cups of coffee a day had half the risk of recurrence, compared to women who had less or no coffee.

That's pretty significant, isn't it? Not only that, but the coffee drinkers had smaller tumors.

Why does coffee help treat breast cancer?

The question, what is it about coffee that reduces the risk of recurrence?

Let's leave it to researchers Ann Rosendahl and Helena Jernstr�m to explain:

The breast cancer cells reacted to these substances, especially caffeine, with reduced cell division and increased cell death, especially in combination with tamoxifen. This shows that these substances have an effect on the breast cancer cells and turn off signalling pathways that the cancer cells require to grow.

It's as simple as that. The caffeine and caffeic acid in coffee stops cancer cells in their tracks. Moreover, it fortifies what tamoxifen is already doing in treating breast cancer.

What this all means is women taking tamoxifen who enjoy coffee can continue the combination, as it's likely to help with their treatment. But the research team stresses that women shouldn't shy away from cancer treatments and only drink coffee. It's the two together than makes a difference.