|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Caffeine Appears to Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk;
Smoking, Alcohol No Effect
Caffeine may lower risk, particularly in women not
using hormones
| |
No impact |
No impact |
Lowers risk |
|
| |
 |
 |
 |
|
Jan. 23, 2008 - A very large new study has found
that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption do not have an effect on
ovarian cancer risk, while caffeine intake may lower the risk,
particularly in women not using hormones. The study is published in the
March 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American
Cancer Society.
Various studies have assessed the potential link
between modifiable factors such as smoking or caffeine and alcohol
intake and have generated conflicting results. To help clarify these
associations, Dr. Shelley S. Tworoger, of Harvard Medical School and the
Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues examined ongoing
questionnaire data from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’
Health Study, which includes 121,701 US female registered nurses.
The Nurses’ Health Study cohort was established in
1976, when women aged 30-35 completed and returned initial
questionnaires. Every two years, questionnaires are sent to the women to
update exposure variables and document newly diagnosed diseases.
Dr. Tworoger and her co-investigators prospectively
examined associations between smoking and ovarian cancer risk among
110,454 women and between alcohol or caffeine and ovarian cancer risk
among 80,253 women, all followed between June 1, 1976 and June 1, 2004.
For the smoking analyses, they identified 737
confirmed cases of epithelial ovarian cancer, and for the dietary
analyses, they identified 507 cases.
There was no association between current or past
smoking and ovarian cancer risk, however smoking status, duration, and
pack-years were significantly associated with risk of mucinous tumors, a
rare form of ovarian cancer.
The authors also found no association between
alcohol consumption and ovarian cancer risk.
However they observed an inverse trend of risk with
total caffeine and caffeinated coffee intake, but no association with
decaffeinated coffee. The potential reduction in risk with higher
caffeine intake appeared to be strongest for women who had never used
oral contraceptives or postmenopausal hormones.
The authors concluded that “reducing alcohol intake
and cessation of smoking is not likely to have a substantial impact on
risk of ovarian cancer.”
They add that “the possibility that caffeine may
reduce ovarian cancer risk, particularly for women who have not
previously used exogenous hormones, is intriguing and warrants further
study, including an evaluation of possible biological mechanisms.”
Editor’s Notes:
Article: “Caffeine, Alcohol, Smoking, and the Risk
of Incident Epithelial Ovarian Cancer,” Shelley S. Tworoger, Dorota M.
Gertig, Margaret A. Gates, Jonathan L. Hecht, and Susan E. Hankinson.
CANCER; Published Online: January 22, 2008 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23275);
Print Issue Date: March 1, 2008.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
