A lot of people say that they can’t get through the morning without at least one cup of coffee. And while many people probably refer to the caffeine or to the psychosomatic response the beverage might elicit a new study says that you could actually improve your health by drinking every day.
Or rather, drinking a modest amount of coffee could help to decrease the risk of developing skin cancer.
“We found that four or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 20 percent reduced risk of malignant melanoma,” explains lead author Erikka Loftfield. The Yale University School of Public Health doctoral student is working on her dissertation at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
“Our study is the largest to date to evaluate this relationship (between melanoma and coffee).”
Health Benefits
She also reminds that previous research has demonstrated coffee does provide health benefits so this is not necessarily surprising, but this is the first study to look at it directly.
Obviously, this is not a ‘treatment or a medical prescription’ to just drink coffee and hang around outside in the sun with no sunscreen.
“Our results, and some from other recent studies, should provide reassurances to coffee consumers that drinking coffee is not a risky thing to do,” explains Loftfield. “However, our results do not indicate that individuals should alter their coffee intake.” Again, it also does not recommend that you should change the way you behave when you are out in the sun. Health officials dictate that you should still wear sunscreen at the beach or at the pool to ensure that you have the most protection possible.
