Caffeine May Offer Some Skin Cancer Protection

Reader Comments
Back to article

Re: "For instance, many people drink large amounts of caffeine on a daily basis and still get skin cancer."
If topical caffeine is being studied with respect to skin cancer, shouldn't ingested caffeine be studied with respect to GI cancers? If it is effective only in high doses, it makes sense that only the cells in direct contact with the caffeine with absorb the higher concentrations. In my mind, of course ingested caffeine won't be concentrated in skin cells.

PennTusky of MD 9:44PM September 03, 2010

Good Grief! Everyday it seems there's some new study on the health effects (risks) of caffeine. Researchers study caffeine so much because it is the world's most popular drug. And it is a serious central nervous system drug. And beverage, food and pharmaceutical companies are adding increasing amounts of caffeine to their products. So much so that most people have
absolutely no idea how much caffeine they consume daily. And the nation's poison control centers and hospital emergency rooms
are seeing more and more peoople with caffeine intoxication.
A lot of the research shows evidence of caffeine's health risks and how as little as 3 cups of coffee daily can hurt you -- from hallucinations and heart conditions to miscarriage risk and a higher chance that your children will get cancer.
And more recently there are a number of (mostly correlational studies) suggesting ways in which caffeine may be good for you. And now here's a report that says caffeine may help prevent skin cancer. Ye gads!
What does it all mean for the average person -- who enjoys and needs their daily caffeine?
Does one really have to choose between lowering their chances of getting skin cancer, but raising their chances of a heart condition? Reduce your risk of stroke versus increase your risk for miscarriage?
Ethic Soup is good place to find a good series of articles on caffeine at:
http://www.ethicsoup.com/caffeine-the-worlds-most-popular-drug.html

Sharon McEachern of CO 2:26PM February 26, 2009