Caffeine Linked To Lower Skin Cancer Risk

THE_WELL_HUNG_OYSTER writes "The curative effects of coffee continue to be discovered as the Harvard School of Public Health and Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital published a new study today that links caffeine consumption with reduced skin cancer rates. Quoting: 'The study of nearly 113,000 men and women found those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had a 20 percent lower risk of basal cell carcinoma than those who said no to Joe. Caffeine in non-coffee substances was found equally effective. The cause is speculated to be related to caffeine's ability to "kill off damaged skin cells," said Dr. Josh Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "If you get rid of these cells that are damaged, then they don't have the opportunity to grow and form cancers."'"

Re:Lots of coffee or caffeine = always indoors?

[multiben]

There is no direct link to the study, but you are 100% right. Ensuring that correlations were made between study participants who were consistent in aspects such as age and lifestyle would be critical to this study having any meaning.

I wonder if it's an apples to apples comparision

[Karmashock]

For example, lets say the caffeine drinkers are more likely to be basement mushrooms that don't go outside.

Then caffeine would correlate with lower skin cancer risks.

I hate statistical studies. They're only done correctly about 23.8 percent of the time. And only 12.4 percent of the time provide proper methodology. And then about 18.83 percent of them are completely fabricated.

Re:Hot off the press

[ColdWetDog]

I don't think you have to target the Illuminati. Some people have been trying to shoot down caffeine forever. It's a drug, so it has to be bad. It makes people feel good, so it has to be bad.

Unfortunately for the Puritans, it turns out the coffee is pretty innocuous. But, like with another popular drug that's made out to be more dangerous than it is, a portion of the society will never accept the phrase 'better living through chemistry'.

Re:Lots of coffee or caffeine = always indoors?

[canajin56]

Due to things like ice coffee and iced frappachinos there's not really any dip in coffee sales during hot weather. At least, the lines aren't any shorter at Timmy's ;)

Re:Causation =/= Correlation

[Jarik C-Bol]

anecdotal evidence is anecdotal! Most of the people I know work outside, all day long, physical labor. They drink coffee all morning, and iced tea all afternoon. Your Caffeine user = indoor worker model is anecdotal at best, and assumptive at worst.