Women who drink a few cups of coffee and tea each day may have a lower risk of endometrial cancer, new study findings suggest.
Endometrial cancer arises in the lining of the uterus. Some risk factors have been established, including older age, obesity, and factors that expose women to more estrogen, such as late menopause and estrogen therapy after menopause.
The possible role of diet has been less clear.
In the new study, researchers found that coffee and tea drinkers seemed to have a lower risk of the uterine cancer than non-drinkers among nearly 1,100 women they surveyed.
Women who drank more than four cups of coffee and tea each day were only half as likely as non-drinkers to have endometrial cancer. Similarly, women who drank only tea — more than two cups a day — had a 44 percent lower risk of the disease.
Women who drank coffee alone showed a lower risk, too, but the evidence was not as strong. Those who drank more than two cups a day were 29 percent less likely to have endometrial cancer, but the finding was not significant in statistical terms, the researchers report in the International Journal of Cancer.
Exactly why tea and coffee might protect against endometrial is not certain. One possibility is caffeine, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Susan E. McCann of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
When they looked only at decaffeinated coffee, the researchers found no link between the beverage and the risk of endometrial cancer. In addition, lab research shows that caffeine induces certain enzymes that help neutralize potentially cancer-causing substances in the body.
However, other compounds in tea and coffee also may be at work, according to McCann's team. Both beverages contain various antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, catechins, and isoflavones, which help protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, April 1, 2009.
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