If you enjoy a cup of coffee every morning, you might want to keep that habit for as long as you can. Science and research has been dispensing a lot of findings about coffee and its myriad of health benefits — ranging from its fat-burning ability to lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes. Yet, did you know that your morning coffee can also reduce your risk of having skin cancer? Here at our South Salt Lake Valley dermatology practice, we encourage our clients to get into the habit of brewing a cup whenever they can!
It’s the Caffeine!
The results of the study indicated that the more caffeine in the coffee a person drinks, the lower their risk of acquiring basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The researchers noted that it’s probably the caffeine in coffee which protects from skin cancer as those subjects who drank decaffeinated coffee did not appear to have reduced risks.
““I would not recommend increasing your coffee intake based on these data alone,” said Jiali Han, Ph.D., associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston and Harvard School of Public Health. “However, our results add basal cell carcinoma to a list of conditions for which risk is decreased with increasing coffee consumption. This list includes conditions with serious negative health consequences such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.”
Choose Black
While most people will associate coffee with their lattes and other coffee concoctions added with sugar and cream, it should be noted that the coffee referred to in most scientific researches is plain black coffee. So go get yourself a French press, a decent grinder for your beans, and perhaps a subscription for freshly-roasted beans? A morning cup may just save your life!
If you’d like to learn more about skin cancer or you think you have one, we invite you to get in touch with us right away! Dr. David Myers is a board-certified dermatologist who provides compassionate and competent care. He encourages his patients to be knowledgeable and understand the management of their skin conditions. Call us now at 801-768-8800 or fill out this contact form to schedule an appointment. We look forward to your visit!
