Coffee lovers may be thanking their cup o' Joe for not only its morning wake-up call but for possibly decreasing the risk of head and neck cancers. In a study published today in the American Association for Cancer Research's journal, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers found that regular coffee drinkers had a 39 percent decreased risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancers combined.

The study used information from nine previous studies, collected by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium, which looked at patients who were regular coffee drinkers -- four or more cups a day -- and non-drinkers.

Lead researcher Mia Hashibe says she's very surprised with the findings.
"[The results] were not expected," she tells DOTmed News. "The literature is so inconsistent, perhaps there was no association. But we see a clear association [between coffee and lower cancer risk]."

Because the University of Utah researchers had such a vast sample size and data from many reports, this study is very unique, says Hashibe. There were more than 5,000 head and neck cancer cases and 9,000 controls in the study, according to the report.

Included in the research was data from Harvard that showed a "strong inverse association" between coffee consumption and the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers; men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than non-drinkers, according to the report.

In January, research showed a decreased risk of gliomas -- brain tumors -- associated with coffee in those who drank five or more cups of coffee or tea a day, according to London scientists.

Hashibe and her team of researchers did not look at tea in this study, and there was not enough data on decaffeinated coffee for detailed analysis, according to the report. However, decaf indicated no increased risk.

It's unclear to the researchers why coffee may protect against head and neck cancers.

"The mechanisms are really difficult for us to say," says Hashibe. "There are about 1,000 chemical compounds in coffee, and there are some compounds known to be antioxidants, such as the phenolic compound."

She also points out that it's more likely the effect comes from one of the coffee's other chemicals than caffeine.

While the findings are significant, Hashibe says she is not about to tell people to start gulping down cups of coffee. There are negative side effects associated with too much caffeine, including an increased risk in pre-menopausal breast cancer, according to some research.

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