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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- In a new study, researchers found caffeine is not associated with overall breast cancer risk, but it could increase the risk of cancer for women with benign breast disease or for specific types of tumors.
Its believed that caffeine is the most commonly consumed drug worldwide. Caffeine is found not only in coffee but also tea, chocolate and even some medications. There have been some theories that caffeine may increase the risk of breast cancer, but the research has not been clear. This new study sheds some more light on the topic, but study authors say further research is needed to understand the association even better.
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Doctors from Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Tokyo Womens Medical University did the current study. Researchers looked at 38,432 women who were 45 years or older. They provided dietary information for three years. The women were followed up with for ten years.
Study authors say 1,188 women developed invasive breast cancer. They say consumption of caffeine was not associated with overall risk of breast cancer. However, upon further analysis, researchers say those women who had benign breast tissue and drank caffeine had a higher risk of breast cancer. An increased risk of cancer was also found in women with estrogen receptor-negative and progesterone receptor-negative breast cancer and in women with breast tumors larger than two centimeters.
Researchers say understanding how caffeine may affect breast cancer is complex and remains unclear. They say this study shows caffeine may affect breast cancer progression. However, more research is needed.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2008;168:2022-2031
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