Coffee Drinking Helps Reduce Skin Cancer Risk, Study Shows

Moderate coffee drinking may help to reduce the incidence of skin cancer by killing off damaged cells that might otherwise evolve into tumors, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The Rutgers University study adds to previous research suggesting that drinking approximately one cup of coffee per day suppresses a protein enzyme known as ATR, which can lead to cancerous tumors. The most recent study says applying coffee directly to the skin may even be most effective in warding off side effects from UV exposure.

The study involved using mice that had been genetically altered to suppress ATR. Those mice and a control group were then exposed to UV rays, and while all the mice eventually developed tumors, the genetically altered mice developed tumors three weeks later.

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