日前，美国哈佛大学医学院研究人员完成的研究显示，常喝含咖啡因的咖啡有助于降低患常见皮肤癌——基底细胞癌的风险。相关研究报告发表在美国《癌症研究》（Cancer Research）杂志上。
研究人员分析了参加“健康职业跟踪研究”和“护士健康研究”的11.2万人为期20多年的数据后发现，每天饮用3杯以上含咖啡因咖啡的女性患基底细胞癌的风险比每月饮用不到一杯者低21%；对类似的男性而言，风险降低10%。
他们还发现，经常摄入含咖啡因的茶或巧克力也可以发挥同样功效，但不能降低患鳞状细胞癌、黑素瘤及其他皮肤癌的风险；饮用不含咖啡因的咖啡与患基底细胞癌的风险之间没有关联。
研究人员表示，此前的小鼠试验表明，咖啡因能够抑制肿瘤增长，这项研究表明咖啡因在人体中或许也能发挥类似作用。
基底细胞癌是最常见的皮肤恶性肿瘤，常发作于面部。在国外，半数以上皮肤癌患者患的是基底细胞癌。美国国家癌症研究所的数据显示，美国每年约有百万人接受基底细胞癌治疗。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-11-3511
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Increased Caffeine Intake Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin
Fengju Song1,4, Abrar A. Qureshi1,2, and Jiali Han1,2,3
Studies in animals suggest that caffeine administration helps prevent squamous cell skin cancer development, but there have been limited epidemiologic studies on the association between caffeine consumption and skin cancer risk. Using data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, we prospectively examined risks of basal cell carcinoma (BCC, 22,786 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 1,953 cases), and melanoma (741 cases) in relation to caffeine intake. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The amount of caffeine intake from all dietary sources was inversely associated with BCC risk. Compared with the lowest quintile, the highest quintile had the lowest risk (RR, 0.82 in women; 95% CI:,0.77–0.86 and RR, 0.87 in men; 95% CI, 0.81–0.94; Ptrend < 0.0001 in both). A significant inverse association was also found between caffeinated coffee consumption and BCC risk. Compared with individuals who consumed caffeinated coffee less than 1 cup per month, women who consumed more than 3 cups/d had the lowest risk (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74–0.85; Ptrend < 0.0001) and the RR for men was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.80–1.01; Ptrend = 0.003). Caffeine from other dietary sources (tea, cola, and chocolate) was also inversely associated with BCC risk. Decaffeinated coffee consumption was not associated with a similar decrease in BCC risk. In contrast, caffeine intake was not found to be inversely associated with risks of SCC or melanoma. Our findings argue that caffeine intake in men and women is inversely associated with risk of BCC.
