Can Drinking Coffee Help Fight Skin Cancer?
By Dr. Brian McDonough
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Can coffee help fight skin cancer?
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute recently took a look at the effects of caffeine intake. What they found is that people who drink coffee on a regular basis, four or more cups a day, had a 20% lower risk for developing the deadliest form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, than those who drank less coffee.
The same did not hold true for decaffeinated coffee drinkers.
Malignant melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the United States and the leading cause of skin cancer deaths.
Coffee has been the subject of medical research quite a bit. In the past, researchers have found associations between coffee and protection against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, depression, and diabetes.