For those who don’t know, endometrial cancer is a cancer that starts in the lining of the uterus – the endometrium. Furthermore, 1 in 37 women in the U.S. will develop endometrial cancer at some point in their lives.
The researchers analyzed the link between 84 foods and nutrients and the risk of endometrial cancer. Nine in particular stood out: total fat, monounsaturated fat, phosphorus, carbohydrates, yogurt, butter, potatoes, cheese, and coffee.
In addition, the diets of 1,303 women with endometrial cancer who participated in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study and the Nurses Healthy Study (NHS) were examined. Turns out, women in the EPIC study who drank three cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of endometrial cancer by 19 percent compared to women who drank less than one cup of coffee a day.
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On the other hand, women in the NHS study who drank four cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of endometrial cancer by 18 percent compared to women who had never drank coffee.
Now, of course, it’s important to point out that this is a correlation rather than a cause-and-effect situation. Also, the study doesn’t mention whether the women drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.
Dr. Melissa A. Merritt of Imperial College London in the UK explained to the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention Journal:
Coffee intake is worth investigating further to see if coffee can be used for the prevention of endometrial cancer. However, before clinical recommendations can be made, further studies are needed to evaluate this question in other studies and to try to isolate the components of coffee that may be responsible for any influence on endometrial cancer.
In the meantime, go ahead and pour yourself another cup of coffee!