Does Your Favorite Beverage Increase Your Risk For Colon Cancer?
Through the years, there have been a number of studies done attempting to determine
if there's a link between the amount of coffee, tea or soft drinks you consume and your chances of getting colon cancer
But it appears that part of the question has been put to rest - at least for a while. The news is positive for coffee and tea drinkers, and uncertain for those who love sugary sodas.
A team from Harvard School of Public Health poured over about a dozen research projects from North America and Europe before announcing their conclusions. The research team was led by Dr. Xuehong Zhang.
Results were collated from more than 730,000 individuals scattered across the globe, and subjects were followed for anywhere between six and twenty years. 5,600 eventually got colorectal cancer. Researchers reported that factors related to alcohol consumption, smoking and gender had negligible impact on their findings.
The results of the research, reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, seem to conclude that people who drink coffee daily - even four or more cups - have no higher chance of developing colon cancer than other people who don't drink coffee at all.
The news was also good - though not quite as good - for those who drink a lot of tea - 32 ounces a day or more. Their risk of getting colon cancer was slightly higher than those who drank a lot of coffee.
It was more difficult to draw conclusions about sugary soda beverages.
Those who consume a lot of sugary sodas are more likely to be overweight. Obesity has been known to contribute to a whole range of related conditions and diseases. It's a practical impossibility to separate colon cancer from these.
Researchers noted that getting pure data was difficult in this study due to the huge scope and size of individuals being investigated. Subjects' beverage choices and volumes ran the gamut.
Research that had been done previously on any connection between certain popular drinks and colon cancer produced uncertain findings.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than one hundred thousand people are found to have colon cancer each year in the United States alone. About half that number of new rectal cancer cases are reported. Colorectal cancer ranks third on the list of most frequently diagnosed cancer cases. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for approximately 50,000 deaths every year.
Happily, the percentage of deaths has been falling in the last twenty years. There are several possibilities that account for this reduction.
One reason may be that polyps (pre-cancerous formations in the colon) - are being detected in screening programs, which have become more numerous.
Screening is also allowing more colorectal cancers to be found in the initial stages, when treatment can be more effective.
There is also greater public awareness of the dangers of colon cancer, which was a disease that was rarely discussed or publicized for many years.
Finally, research has led to great strides in treatment over the past few decades. As a result, there are now more than 1 million colorectal cancer survivors in the United States.
Doctors say we should all be more aware of colon health as we get older. Regular colon cancer detection tests - like a colonoscopy - are a good idea for everyone who is 50 years of age or older.
Meanwhile, don't worry about enjoying all the coffee and tea you want. The research says you can do so without fear of raising your risk of getting colon cancer.
by: Neal Kennedy
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