cafeResearchers from around the world have linked moderate coffee consumption to reduced risk of diabetes., an improvement in motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease or a lower risk of certain types of cancer of the colon, prostate, gastric, endometrium and oropharyngeal.

Malignant melanoma is now added to the studies carried out. As suggested by an analysis of epidemiological and preclinical studies, coffee consumption has a protective effect against non-melanoma skin cancers, but the protective effect for cutaneous melanoma is not so clear (malignant and ‘in situ’).

To determine if there is an association between coffee consumption and the risk of cutaneous melanoma, la doctora Erikka Loftfield, of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and the National Cancer Institute, in United States, and his colleagues used data from the NI NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study ’.

Information on coffee consumption was obtained from 447.357 non-Hispanic white subjects using a food frequency questionnaire in 1995/1996, with an average follow-up of ten years.

All subjects included in the analysis were cancer-free at baseline and the authors adjusted the data for exposure.
environmental to ultraviolet radiation, body mass index, age, sex, physical activity, consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

In general, increased coffee consumption was inversely associated with risk of malignant melanoma, with a 20 percent less risk for those who consumed four cups a day or more.

There was also a trend towards greater protection with higher intake, with increasing protective effect from one cup or less to four cups or more.

However, the effect was statistically significant for caffeinated coffee, but not for decaf and only in the case of protection against malignant melanoma, but not against melanoma in situ, which may have a different etiology.

The scientists, who have published their study in the N JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute’, point out that the results are preliminary and may not be applicable to other populations and, Therefore, additional research on coffee consumption is needed.

However, they conclude that “due to its high disease burden, lifestyle modifications with even modest protective effects can have a significant impact on melanoma morbidity. ”.