More super powers for coffee (including decaf)
Head and neck cancers affect around 55,000 folks in the U.S. every year, but many cases are avoidable if you get the HPV vaccine, don't smoke and limit alcohol intake. And now, new research shows an even simpler way to dodge 'em: Drink coffee.
A new paper in Cancer provides an overview of 14 studies and says that when folks drink more than 4 cups of caffeinated coffee daily, they reduce the overall risk of head and neck cancer by 17%. The specific benefits are even greater. Drinking 3 to 4 cups of caffeinated coffee reduces the risk of a form of throat cancer (AKA hypopharyngeal cancer) by 41%. And drinking decaf is associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of oral cancer and a 29% lower risk of hypopharyngeal cancer. Just make sure that you don't add sweeteners and fatty dairy to your cuppa Joe.
If you do develop head or neck cancer, the key to survival is early detection: The symptoms include a lump in the neck, a change to your voice, pain chewing or swallowing, and persistent earache. If caught early, the five-year survival rate for stages 1 and 2 is up to 90%, so get checked out if you have any troubling symptoms in your throat, mouth or head.
And for more information on lifestyle choices that help you avoid a wide range of cancers, check out Dr. Mike's book "The Great Age Reboot" and watch the video "Dr. Oz on Living Longer" on YouTube.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2025 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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