Study: Coffee could protect against melanoma

What can't coffee do? Not only does it give you the jolt you need to get going in the morning, but now researchers say it could also protect against melanoma.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and is usually caused by UV rays damaging the DNA of skin cells. A team from the National Cancer Institute looked at 447,000 food questionnaires from people enrolled in a National Institutes of Health-AARP study, and found that even after adjusting for factors like age and family history of cancer, those who drank more than four cups of (caffeinated) coffee every day had on average a 20 percent lower risk of developing melanoma over 10 years.

The team says their results have to be repeated and confirmed — so please, don't stop using sunscreen just yet — but this could spell out good news for coffee drinkers.

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