According to a new evidence review published in the journal Cancer, coffee and tea consumption has been linked to a lower risk of cancers in the mouth, throat, and head and neck regions. The findings offer hope in the fight against head and neck cancer, which ranks as the seventh most common cancer globally, with 745,000 new cases and 364,000 deaths recorded in 2020.

Your daily cup of coffee or tea might be doing more than just boosting your energy—it could also help reduce your risk of certain cancers. 

Led by Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, an epidemiologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine, the study analyzed data from 14 prior studies, encompassing more than 9,500 individuals with head and neck cancer and nearly 16,000 healthy participants. The results indicate that drinking coffee and tea, even in decaffeinated forms, may play a role in reducing cancer risk. People who consumed more than four cups of coffee daily showed a notable decrease in the odds of head and neck cancer, including specific types like mouth and throat cancers. For hypopharyngeal cancer, a rare form occurring at the base of the throat, drinking three to four cups of coffee daily was linked to a substantial reduction in risk. Interestingly, even decaffeinated coffee demonstrated significant protective effects, suggesting that compounds other than caffeine contribute to its benefits.

Tea, too, showed protective properties, with those consuming one cup or less daily experiencing a reduced risk of head and neck cancers. However, the findings highlighted the complexity of tea’s impact, as consuming more than one cup a day was associated with an increased risk of throat cancer. This may be due to tea exacerbating acid reflux, a condition linked to a higher risk of throat cancer.

The study suggests that coffee may suppress biological processes that support cancer development. While caffeine plays a role, the benefits of decaf coffee indicate the involvement of other compounds. These findings highlight the potential of coffee and tea as allies in cancer prevention, though the researchers emphasize the need for further studies to fully understand their effects.

“Coffee and tea habits are fairly complex, and these findings support the need for more data and further studies around the impact that coffee and tea can have on reducing cancer risk,” said Lee. While these results are promising, they underscore the importance of a balanced approach and the consideration of individual lifestyle factors in evaluating the role of coffee and tea in health.