The World Health Organization has lifted a 25-year-old caution that coffee might cause cancer. Publishing their findings in The Lancet Oncology, WHO experts reviewed more than a thousand human and animal studies and concluded that coffee should no longer be classified as a possible carcinogen. In fact, the review found that coffee may help protect against liver and uterine cancer. (Another recent study also reported an association between greater coffee intake and lower risk of colorectal cancer – see the August newsletter.)
Drinking extremely hot beverages of any kind, however, might contribute to the risk of esophageal cancer, the WHO added. That finding was largely based on studies of drinking a South American tea at almost 160 degrees – 20 degrees hotter than typical US coffee consumption.