Ovarian cancer risk may be reduced by caffeine

This news item was added on 22nd January 2008

A new study has found that caffeine intake may lower the risk of ovarian cancer, particularly in women who do not use hormone therapies.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health examined data on 80,253 women to determine any link between caffeine or alcohol on ovarian cancer risk.

They found no link between alcohol consumption and ovarian cancer, risk, but women who drank coffee appeared to be at a reduced risk of the disease, which is the fourth most common cancer among British women.

There was, however, no link among women who drank decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that it is the caffeine that affects cancer risk.

The reduction in risk was found to be strongest for women who had never used oral contraceptives or postmenopausal hormones.

Publishing their findings in Cancer journal, the researchers concluded: "The possibility that caffeine may reduce ovarian cancer risk, particularly for women who have not previously used exogenous hormones, is intriguing and warrants further study."

Josephine Querido, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "The jury is still out as to whether or not caffeine affects the risk of ovarian cancer because evidence from previous studies looking at this link has been inconsistent."