Researchers from the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the University of Utah School of Medicine have found a link between coffee and tea consumption and a low risk of developing head and neck cancer. The results of the study are published in the journal CANCER. Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world and the incidence is increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The question of the effect of coffee and tea on the risk of developing these diseases has caught the attention of scientists, but the results of previous studies have often been contradictory. The new study, conducted by the International Consortium for Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology, analyzed data from 14 previously published papers covering 9,548 head and neck cancer patients and 15,783 healthy individuals. Participants completed questionnaires about the number of cups of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea they consumed per day, week, month or year. The results showed that drinking these beverages can significantly reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancer. For example, people who drank more than four cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 17% less likely to develop head and neck cancer, 30% less likely to develop oral cancer, and 22% less likely to develop throat cancer. Consuming three to four cups of caffeinated coffee per day is associated with a 41% reduction in the risk of hypopharyngeal cancer (lower throat cancer). Decaffeinated coffee also showed positive effects: regular consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of oral cancer. Tea drinkers, on the other hand, showed a 29% reduction in the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer, but drinking more than one cup of the beverage per day increased the risk of laryngeal cancer by 38%.