Caffeine lovers can rejoice as coffee has finally been removed from the list of foods thought to cause cancer.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have reviewed 1,000 studies to find that the previous link between coffee and bladder cancer is inconclusive.
The IARC brought together a group of 23 scientists to review previous research and concluded: “that there was inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity of coffee drinking.”
In fact, whilst “early studies hinted that coffee might increase cancer risk, larger and more well-designed studies now suggest the opposite: it may be protective for some cancers.”
The strongest evidence for coffee’s protective property was found in reducing rates of liver and uterine cancer.
National Coffee Association president Bill Murray said: “This finding is great news and highly significant for coffee drinkers and confirms evidence from an avalanche of studies by highly respected and independent scientists.”
However, the researchers did find a link between drinking hot drinks (above 65 degrees) and an increased risk of oesophageal cancer. This was based on increased rates of the cancer amongst populations in Iran, China and South America where they regularly drink tea at 70 degrees.
Dr Rachel Thompson, of the World Cancer Research Fund, advised: “These new findings don’t mean that you can no longer enjoy hot drinks.”
She added: “It is the very hot temperatures that have been identified as a cancer risk, and so, when drinking tea or other hot drinks, just let it cool down for a few minutes, especially if you’re not adding any milk.”
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