Contrary to previous studies, new research from Harvard has found that coffee is not associated with lower risk of colorectal, colon, or rectal cancer.
In this report, published in the April 2009 issue of International Journal of Cancer, researchers reviewed 12 studies that examined the association between coffee consumption and new cases of colorectal cancer. A total of 646,848 people participated in the studies of which 5,403 developed colorectal cancer.
Overall, comparing high versus low coffee consumption, no significant association between coffee consumption and colorectal cancer risk was found.
Looking each gender, women who drank more coffee had a 21 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer when compared with their peers who didn't drink as much coffee. No such relationship was found in men.
According to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, an estimated 21,500 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 8,900 will die from it.
Dietary strategies for preventing colorectal cancer include increased intake of dietary fibre and reduced intake of total and saturated fat.
Click here for more information on diet and colorectal cancer.
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