The Los Angeles Times reports that according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, “drinking coffee was associated with decreased risk of a common and slow-growing form of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma (BCC).” After “examining data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which followed 72,921 people between 1984 and 2008, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which followed 39,976 people between 1986 and 2008,” researchers found that “women who drank more than three cups of coffee had a 20% reduction in risk for basal cell carcinoma.”
“Men who drank more than three cups of coffee benefited from a 9% reduction in risk of this type of skin cancer,” WebMD reports. However, “drinking decaffeinated coffee did not have any effect on skin cancer risk, which leads researchers to suspect caffeine is the key ingredient.”
Researchers are now “also looking into whether caffeine should be added to sunscreen to increase its effectiveness against skin cancer.”
HealthDay noted, “The amount of caffeine consumption was inversely associated with risk,” the study’s lead author pointed out, “meaning the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk of skin cancer.” Still, “the study could not prove cause-and-effect … and at this point the finding remains an association only.”
Coffee now has been associated with:

• an increase in longevity,
• a lower risk of diabetes,
• a lower risk of breast and prostate cancer,
• a lower risk of heart disease,
• a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, and
• a lower risk of cirrhosis and liver disease.

Here are some of blogs on coffee:

• Drinking coffee reduces prostate cancer risk
• Drinking coffee reduces breast cancer risk
• Coffee may have perks for longer living
• Tea and coffee ‘protect against heart disease’

It is also clear that drinking excessive amounts of coffee can lead to jitters, heart palpitations, and insomnia in some people.
Here are some of my other blogs about the health benefits of coffee:

• Coffee and Your Health
• Iced Coffee Drinks Can Pack as Many Calories as an Entire Meal

So, Barb and I are off for our first cup of java — but not iced coffee!