Skin Cancer and Coffee
The skin is the body’s largest organ, which is partly why people go to great lengths to protect it these days.
Sun block, moisturisers, oils, lotions and peels are all popular treatments, while professional dermatologists seek to educate people on the importance of looking after their skin.
They also help with problems that often arise.
Skin cancer is still a problem, despite raised public awareness of the need to cover up in the sun.
However, there has been a news story in the online press recently that suggests there may be an unlikely relationship between skin cancer and the consumption of coffee and other food products containing caffeine.
A research project looked at information collected from 113,000 professionals in the health industry during two studies.
Those who participated shared information about their diets and also about their cancer risk factors (such as genetic history, complexion and so on).
Over a period of 20 years, 22,786 of the participants developed basal cell carcinoma, which is a kind of skin cancer.
Almost 2,000 participants developed squamous cell carcinoma and 741 melanoma.
It was discovered that those who consumed coffee or similar amounts of caffeine from other food substances had a reduced risk of developing basal cell carcinoma.
To be clear, the results were not conclusive.
It has been said that the studies showed an “association” between caffeinated coffee and the risk of developing skin cancer.
However slight the connection, it is surely worth investigating further to see how these claims can be substantiated and any connection exploited to the benefit of all.