Answered on February 11, 2025
Coffee and tea consumption have been associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, according to the latest evidence.
A pooled analysis of prospective studies from the Asia Cohort Consortium found that coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of cancer-specific mortality among both men and women.[1] Specifically, drinking at least five cups of coffee per day was linked to a 24-28% lower risk of all-cause mortality, including cancer-specific mortality. Green tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-specific mortality but not cancer-specific mortality.[1]
A systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that higher coffee consumption might be associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (RR = 0.53) and green tea with a lower risk of HCC (RR = 0.80).[2] Additionally, coffee consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of endometrial cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, as noted by the American Cancer Society.[3]
For head and neck cancers, a pooled analysis from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium found that drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily was inversely associated with head and neck cancer risk (OR, 0.83).[4] Tea consumption was also inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.71).[4]
In the context of glioma, a systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that higher tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of glioma (RR 0.84), while higher coffee consumption showed a non-significant trend towards a lower risk.[5]
Overall, the evidence suggests that coffee and tea consumption may reduce the risk of certain cancers, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, endometrial cancer, and head and neck cancers. However, the associations vary by cancer type and the amount of consumption. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the underlying mechanisms.

References

1.
Coffee and Tea Consumption and Mortality From All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Prospective Studies From the Asia Cohort Consortium.

Shin S, Lee JE, Loftfield E, et al.

International Journal of Epidemiology. 2022;51(2):626-640. doi:10.1093/ije/dyab161.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that consuming coffee may lower the risk of death, but evidence regarding tea consumption in Asians is limited. We examined the association between coffee and tea consumption and mortality in Asian populations.

Methods: We used data from 12 prospective cohort studies including 248 050 men and 280 454 women from the Asia Cohort Consortium conducted in China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. We estimated the study-specific association of coffee, green tea and black tea consumption with mortality using Cox proportional-hazards regression models and the pooled study-specific hazard ratios (HRs) using a random-effects model.

Results: In total, 94 744 deaths were identified during the follow-up, which ranged from an average of 6.5 to 22.7 years. Compared with coffee non-drinkers, men and women who drank at least five cups of coffee per day had a 24% [95% confidence interval (CI) 17%, 29%] and a 28% (95% CI 19%, 37%) lower risk of all-cause mortality, respectively. Similarly, we found inverse associations for coffee consumption with cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific and cancer-specific mortality among both men and women. Green tea consumption was associated with lower risk of mortality from all causes, CVD and other causes but not from cancer. The association of drinking green tea with CVD-specific mortality was particularly strong, with HRs (95% CIs) of 0.79 (0.68, 0.91) for men and 0.78 (0.68, 0.90) for women who drank at least five cups per day of green tea compared with non-drinkers. The association between black tea consumption and mortality was weak, with no clear trends noted across the categories of consumption.

Conclusions: In Asian populations, coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death overall and with lower risks of death from CVD and cancer. Green tea consumption is associated with lower risks of death from all causes and CVD.

2.
Coffee, Green Tea Intake, and the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

Yu J, Liang D, Li J, et al.

Nutrition and Cancer. 2023;75(5):1295-1308. doi:10.1080/01635581.2023.2178949.

Several studies suggest an inverse relationship between coffee intake and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the association between green tea intake and the risk of HCC is still inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to clarify the association. We identified eligible studies published from January 1, 1992, to February 28, 2022, by searching PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE. A total of 32 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Among them, 21 studies involving 2,492,625 participants and 5980 cases of HCC reported coffee intake, 18 studies involving 1,481,647 participants and 6985 cases of HCC reported green tea intake, and seven studies reported both coffee intake and green tea intake. The results showed that a higher coffee (RR = 0.53; 95%

Ci: 0.47-0.59; I2 = 0.0%; Pheterogeneity = 0.634) or green tea (RR = 0.80; 95%

Ci: 0.67-0.95; I2 = 72.30%; Pheterogeneity < 0.001) intake may be associated with a lower risk of HCC. The same results were observed in both cohort and case-control subgroups. Our findings suggest that drinking coffee or green tea may be a potentially effective approach for the prevention or mitigation of HCC, but this still needs to be confirmed by further well-designed observational studies and clinical experimental research.

3.
American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention.

Rock CL, Thomson C, Gansler T, et al.

CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2020;70(4):245-271. doi:10.3322/caac.21591.

Leading Journal

Whether coffee consumption reduces or increases the risk of different types of cancers has been an active area of research. Studies have suggested that coffee consumption likely reduces the risk of liver and endometrial cancers, although confounding by smoking may explain this latter association.4 There is some evidence that coffee reduces the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx as well as basal cell skin cancer in both men and women, and possibly malignant melanoma in women.4, 166
On a related topic, previous studies have suggested that consuming very hot beverages, above 149 degrees Fahrenheit, such as coffee and/or tea, may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and a recent meta-analysis supported this conclusion.167 There may be an advantage to consuming coffee and other beverages at a modest (rather than very hot) temperature.
The potential mechanisms by which coffee may exert beneficial effects on the risk of some cancers are not completely understood. Hundreds of biologically active compounds, including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, are found in roasted coffee. These and other coffee compounds have been shown to increase energy expenditure, inhibit cellular damage, regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties, and/or inhibit metastasis.4, 166 Coffee also influences intestinal transit time and liver metabolism of carcinogens, and therefore these factors may also contribute to a lower risk for some digestive cancers.

4.

Introduction: The relations between coffee and tea consumption and head and neck cancer (HNC) incidence are unclear. With increasing global HNC burden, this study aims to examine the association between coffee, tea, and HNC.

Methods: A pooled analysis of 9548 HNC cases and 15,783 controls from 14 individual-level case-control studies was conducted from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. Random-effects logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for HNC and its subsites, adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Results: Compared to non-coffee drinkers, drinking >4 cups of caffeinated coffee daily was inversely associated with HNC (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-1.00), oral cavity (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55-0.89), and oropharyngeal cancers (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61-0.99). Drinking 3-4 cups of caffeinated coffee was inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.91). Drinking decaffeinated coffee and drinking between >0 to <1 cup daily were inversely associated with oral cavity cancer (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64-0.87 and OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.81). Drinking tea was inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.87). Daily tea consumption of >0 to ≤1 cup was inversely associated with HNC (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.98) and hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91), but drinking >1 cup was associated with laryngeal cancer (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09-1.74).

Conclusion: These findings support reduced HNC risk among coffee and tea drinkers. Future studies are needed to address geographical differences in types of coffee and tea to improve our understanding of the association of coffee and tea and global HNC risk.

5.
Coffee and Tea Consumption and the Risk of Glioma: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.

Pranata R, Feraldho A, Lim MA, et al.

The British Journal of Nutrition. 2022;127(1):78-86. doi:10.1017/S0007114521000830.

In this systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis, we aimed to assess whether coffee and tea consumption is related to the risk of glioma. We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase, Scopus and the EuropePMC from the inception of database up until 1 October 2020. Exposures in the present study were coffee and tea consumption, the main outcome was the incidence of glioma. The present study compares the association between the exposure of coffee and tea with the incidence of glioma, and the results are reported in relative risks (RR). There are 12 unique studies comprising of 1 960 731 participants with 2987 glioma cases. Higher coffee consumption was associated with a statistically non-significant trend towards lower risk of glioma (RR 0·77 (95 % CI 0·55, 1·03), P= 0·11; I2:75·27 %). Meta-regression showed that the association between coffee and glioma was reduced by smoking (P= 0·029). Higher tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of glioma (RR 0·84 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·98), P= 0·030; I2:16·42 %). Sensitivity analysis by removal of case-control studies showed that higher coffee consumption (RR 0·85 (95 % CI 0·72, 1·00), P= 0·046; I2:0 %) and higher tea consumption (RR 0·81 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·93), P= 0·004; I2:0 %, Pnon-linearity = 0·140) were associated with lower risk of glioma. Dose-response meta-analysis showed that every one cup of coffee per day decreases the risk of glioma by 3 % (RR 0·97 (95 % CI 0·94, 0·99), P= 0·016, Pnon-linearity = 0·054) and every one cup of tea per day decreases the risk of glioma by 3 % (RR 0·97 (95 % CI 0·94, 1·00), P= 0·048). This meta-analysis showed apparent association between coffee and tea intake and risk of glioma.

Expanded question: Based on the latest evidence, what specific types of cancer are affected by coffee and tea consumption?

Answered on February 11, 2025
Based on the latest evidence, coffee and tea consumption are associated with a reduced risk of several specific types of cancer:
1. Head and Neck Cancer: Drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee daily is inversely associated with head and neck cancer (HNC), including oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers. Tea consumption is inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer.[1]
2. Colorectal Cancer: Higher coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, particularly proximal colon tumors.[2]
3. Endometrial Cancer: Coffee intake is associated with a decreased risk of endometrial cancer.[3-4]
4. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.[4-5]
5. Glioma: Higher tea consumption is associated with a lower risk of glioma, while higher coffee consumption shows a non-significant trend towards a lower risk.[6]
6. Biliary Tract Cancer: Tea consumption is associated with a lower incidence of gallbladder cancer and possibly intrahepatic bile duct cancer.[7]
These associations suggest potential protective effects of coffee and tea against these specific cancer types. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the underlying mechanisms.

References

1.

Introduction: The relations between coffee and tea consumption and head and neck cancer (HNC) incidence are unclear. With increasing global HNC burden, this study aims to examine the association between coffee, tea, and HNC.

Methods: A pooled analysis of 9548 HNC cases and 15,783 controls from 14 individual-level case-control studies was conducted from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. Random-effects logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for HNC and its subsites, adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Results: Compared to non-coffee drinkers, drinking >4 cups of caffeinated coffee daily was inversely associated with HNC (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-1.00), oral cavity (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55-0.89), and oropharyngeal cancers (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61-0.99). Drinking 3-4 cups of caffeinated coffee was inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.91). Drinking decaffeinated coffee and drinking between >0 to <1 cup daily were inversely associated with oral cavity cancer (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64-0.87 and OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.81). Drinking tea was inversely associated with hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.87). Daily tea consumption of >0 to ≤1 cup was inversely associated with HNC (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.98) and hypopharyngeal cancer (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91), but drinking >1 cup was associated with laryngeal cancer (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09-1.74).

Conclusion: These findings support reduced HNC risk among coffee and tea drinkers. Future studies are needed to address geographical differences in types of coffee and tea to improve our understanding of the association of coffee and tea and global HNC risk.

2.
Caffeinated and Decaffeinated Coffee and Tea Intakes and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Large Prospective Study.

Sinha R, Cross AJ, Daniel CR, et al.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012;96(2):374-81. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.031328.

Background: Coffee and tea are widely consumed globally and are rich sources of potential chemopreventive compounds. Epidemiologic data for coffee and tea intakes in relation to colorectal cancer remain unclear. Despite differences in gut physiology, few studies have conducted investigations by anatomic subsites.

Objective: We evaluated coffee and tea intakes (caffeinated and decaffeinated) in relation to colon (proximal and distal) and rectal cancers.

Design: The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study included 489,706 men and women who completed a baseline (1995-1996) self-administered questionnaire of demographics, diet, and lifestyle. Over a median of 10.5 y of follow-up, we identified 2863 proximal colon, 1993 distal colon, and 1874 rectal cancers. Multivariable HRs and 95% CIs were estimated by using Cox regression.

Results: Approximately 16% of participants drank ≥4 cups coffee/d. Compared with nondrinkers, drinkers of 4-5 cups coffee/d (

Hr: 0.85; 95%

Ci: 0.75, 0.96) and ≥6 cups coffee/d (

Hr: 0.74; 95%

Ci: 0.61, 0.89; P-trend < 0.001) had a lower risk of colon cancer, particularly of proximal tumors (HR for ≥6 cups/d: 0.62; 95%

Ci: 0.49, 0.81; P-trend < 0.0001). Results were similar to those overall for drinkers of predominantly caffeinated coffee. Although individual HRs were not significant, there was a significant P-trend for both colon and rectal cancers for people who drank predominantly decaffeinated coffee. No associations were observed for tea.

Conclusions: In this large US cohort, coffee was inversely associated with colon cancer, particularly proximal tumors. Additional investigations of coffee intake and its components in the prevention of colorectal cancer by subsites are warranted. The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00340015.

3.
Coffee, Tea, Caffeine Intake, and the Risk of Cancer in the PLCO Cohort.

Hashibe M, Galeone C, Buys SS, et al.

British Journal of Cancer. 2015;113(5):809-16. doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.276.

Leading Journal

Background: The association between coffee intake, tea intake and cancer has been extensively studied, but associations are not established for many cancers. Previous studies are not consistent on whether caffeine may be the source of possible associations between coffee and cancer risk.

Methods: In the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian cancer screening trial, of the 97,334 eligible individuals, 10,399 developed cancer. Cancers included were 145 head and neck, 99 oesophageal, 136 stomach, 1137 lung, 1703 breast, 257 endometrial, 162 ovarian, 3037 prostate, 318 kidney, 398 bladder, 103 gliomas, and 106 thyroid.

Results: Mean coffee intake was higher in lower education groups, among current smokers, among heavier and longer duration smokers, and among heavier alcohol drinkers. Coffee intake was not associated with the risk of all cancers combined (RR=1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.96-1.05), whereas tea drinking was associated with a decreased risk of cancer overall (RR=0.95, 95% CI=0.94-0.96 for 1+ cups per day vs <1 cup per day). For endometrial cancer, a decreased risk was observed for coffee intake (RR=0.69, 95% CI=0,52-0.91 for ⩾2 cups per day). Caffeine intake was not associated with cancer risk in a dose-response manner.

Conclusions: We observed a decreased risk of endometrial cancer for coffee intake, and a decreased risk of cancer overall with tea intake.

4.
American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention.

Rock CL, Thomson C, Gansler T, et al.

CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2020;70(4):245-271. doi:10.3322/caac.21591.

Leading Journal

Whether coffee consumption reduces or increases the risk of different types of cancers has been an active area of research. Studies have suggested that coffee consumption likely reduces the risk of liver and endometrial cancers, although confounding by smoking may explain this latter association.4 There is some evidence that coffee reduces the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx as well as basal cell skin cancer in both men and women, and possibly malignant melanoma in women.4, 166
On a related topic, previous studies have suggested that consuming very hot beverages, above 149 degrees Fahrenheit, such as coffee and/or tea, may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and a recent meta-analysis supported this conclusion.167 There may be an advantage to consuming coffee and other beverages at a modest (rather than very hot) temperature.
The potential mechanisms by which coffee may exert beneficial effects on the risk of some cancers are not completely understood. Hundreds of biologically active compounds, including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, are found in roasted coffee. These and other coffee compounds have been shown to increase energy expenditure, inhibit cellular damage, regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties, and/or inhibit metastasis.4, 166 Coffee also influences intestinal transit time and liver metabolism of carcinogens, and therefore these factors may also contribute to a lower risk for some digestive cancers.

5.
Coffee, Caffeine, and Health.

van Dam RM, Hu FB, Willett WC.

The New England Journal of Medicine. 2020;383(4):369-378. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1816604.

Leading Journal
Coffee, Caffeine, and the Risk of Chronic Disease > Cancer and Liver Diseases

The results of many prospective cohort studies provide strong evidence that consumption of coffee and caffeine is not associated with an increased incidence of cancer or an increased rate of death from cancer (Table S1). Coffee consumption is associated with a slightly reduced risk of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Stronger inverse associations have been observed between coffee consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. For endometrial cancer, the associations are similar with caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, whereas for hepatocellular carcinoma, the association appears to be stronger with caffeinated coffee (Table S1).

Coffee has also consistently been associated with other aspects of liver health, including lower levels of enzymes reflecting liver damage and a lower risk of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Caffeine may prevent hepatic fibrosis through adenosine receptor antagonism because adenosine promotes tissue remodeling, including collagen production and fibrinogenesis. In line with this observation, caffeine metabolites reduce collagen deposition in liver cells, caffeine inhibits hepatocarcinogenesis in animal models, and a randomized trial showed that consumption of caffeinated coffee reduces liver collagen levels in patients with hepatitis C. In addition, coffee polyphenols may provide protection against liver steatosis and fibrogenesis by improving fat homeostasis and reducing oxidative stress.

6.
Coffee and Tea Consumption and the Risk of Glioma: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.

Pranata R, Feraldho A, Lim MA, et al.

The British Journal of Nutrition. 2022;127(1):78-86. doi:10.1017/S0007114521000830.

In this systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis, we aimed to assess whether coffee and tea consumption is related to the risk of glioma. We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase, Scopus and the EuropePMC from the inception of database up until 1 October 2020. Exposures in the present study were coffee and tea consumption, the main outcome was the incidence of glioma. The present study compares the association between the exposure of coffee and tea with the incidence of glioma, and the results are reported in relative risks (RR). There are 12 unique studies comprising of 1 960 731 participants with 2987 glioma cases. Higher coffee consumption was associated with a statistically non-significant trend towards lower risk of glioma (RR 0·77 (95 % CI 0·55, 1·03), P= 0·11; I2:75·27 %). Meta-regression showed that the association between coffee and glioma was reduced by smoking (P= 0·029). Higher tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of glioma (RR 0·84 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·98), P= 0·030; I2:16·42 %). Sensitivity analysis by removal of case-control studies showed that higher coffee consumption (RR 0·85 (95 % CI 0·72, 1·00), P= 0·046; I2:0 %) and higher tea consumption (RR 0·81 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·93), P= 0·004; I2:0 %, Pnon-linearity = 0·140) were associated with lower risk of glioma. Dose-response meta-analysis showed that every one cup of coffee per day decreases the risk of glioma by 3 % (RR 0·97 (95 % CI 0·94, 0·99), P= 0·016, Pnon-linearity = 0·054) and every one cup of tea per day decreases the risk of glioma by 3 % (RR 0·97 (95 % CI 0·94, 1·00), P= 0·048). This meta-analysis showed apparent association between coffee and tea intake and risk of glioma.

7.
Association of Tea and Coffee Consumption and Biliary Tract Cancer Risk: The Biliary Tract Cancers Pooling Project.

Huang YH, Loftfield E, Argirion I, et al.

Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 2024;79(6):1324-1336. doi:10.1097/HEP.0000000000000748.

Leading Journal
New Research

Background And Aims: Tea and coffee are widely consumed beverages worldwide. We evaluated their association with biliary tract cancer (BTC) incidence.

Approach And Results: We pooled data from 15 studies in the Biliary Tract Cancers Pooling Project to evaluate associations between tea and coffee consumption and biliary tract cancer development. We categorized participants as nondrinkers (0 cup/day), moderate drinkers (>0 and <3 cups/day), and heavy drinkers (≥3 cups/day). We estimated multivariable HRs and 95% CIs using Cox models. During 29,911,744 person-years of follow-up, 851 gallbladder, 588 intrahepatic bile duct, 753 extrahepatic bile duct, and 458 ampulla of Vater cancer cases were diagnosed. Individuals who drank tea showed a statistically significantly lower incidence rate of gallbladder cancer (GBC) relative to tea nondrinkers (HR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.64-0.91), and intrahepatic bile duct cancer (IHBDC) had an inverse association (HR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.66-1.00). However, no associations were observed for extrahepatic bile duct cancer (EHBDC) or ampulla of Vater cancer (AVC). In contrast, coffee consumption was positively associated with GBC, with a higher incidence rate for individuals consuming more coffee (HR<3 cups/day =1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.66; HR≥3 cups/day =1.49; 95% CI, 1.11-1.99, Ptrend=0.01) relative to coffee nondrinkers. However, there was no association between coffee consumption and GBC when restricted to coffee drinkers. There was little evidence of associations between coffee consumption and other biliary tract cancers.

Conclusions: Tea consumption was associated with a lower incidence of GBC and possibly IHBDC. Further research is warranted to replicate the observed positive association between coffee and GBC.