Coffee May Reduce Your Risk of Skin Cancer

If you're sipping on your usual morning cup of coffee, here's an added perk to that java jolt: skin-cancer prevention!

According to a new study that was recently presented at the American Academy of Cancer Research meeting in Boston, drinking caffeinated coffee may help prevent basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common type of skin cancer.


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The research, which looked at the effects of coffee drinking on skin cancer risk in more than 110,000 people who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, found that women who drank more than three cups of coffee per day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing BCC than women who drank less than one cup a month. Men who drank more than three cups of coffee had a 9 percent reduction in risk of this type of skin cancer, according to WebMD.

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Researchers believe that caffeine is to credit for the reduction in skin-cancer risk , not just the coffee itself, as previous research has found. However, that doesn't mean you can just stop wearing your sunscreen! Scientists say that while there is a preventative element to caffeine, it's pretty small when compared to other skin-cancer preventative measures such as skin check-ups at the doctor, avoiding sunburn and wearing protective clothing .

Do you drink coffee? Do you wear sunscreen every day? Tell us how you protect your skin!

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