Drinks are an important component for maintaining the function of our body. We have many choices today, ranging from water, coffee, coke, soft sodas to alcohol.
Most of us tend to directly choose what we like without giving second thoughts about whether the drinks do good to our health or not.
Some drinks can do harm to our health. Taking sugary drinks as an example, scientists have found that consuming too much artificial sugar in the drinks can increase people’s chance of getting obesity that is associated with an increased chance of getting at least 13 types of cancer.
We here select three drinks that could do good for cancer prevention to help you make the right choice.
1. Water
Some epidemic studies have shown that water consumption is negatively linked to cancer incidence. People who consume less water are more likely to develop cancer.
Among all the drinks, water is the cheapest beverage that is beneficial to our health.
Remember to drink boiled water. Unboiled water may contain harmful compounds which can cause severe disorders like diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain.
2. Green tea
The antioxidant benefits of green tea can help remove free radical scavenging and protect cells from DNA damage.
In the lab and animal studies, green tea has been shown to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and invasiveness, induce apoptosis, suppress tumor angiogenesis and modulate the immune system.
3. Coffee
Scientists have made huge efforts in exploring the association between coffee consumption and cancer incidence, and the study results are mixed. Some early studies showed that coffee might increase the risk of some types of cancer. However, recent studies found that coffee may lower the risk of some types of cancer, including head and neck, colorectal, breast, and liver cancer.
California stipulated in 2018 that coffee sold in the state shall have a health warning for acrylamide, a substance formed when coffee is roasted, maybe a possible carcinogen for cancer. However, some latest studies argued that acrylamide in coffee poses no significant cancer risk and in fact may even have health benefits.
Generally speaking, coffee is safe to drink, and most epidemiology studies support an overall health benefit from coffee consumptions, including reducing the risk of several types of cancer.
It is worth noting that you shall not drink beverages over 65 degrees Celsius. The International Agency for Research on Cancer listed hot beverages over 65 degrees Celsius as a probable carcinogen that can increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer.
Remember that you are what you drink. To be healthy and stay away from cancer, you shall drink water, green tea and coffee, and leave sugary drinks, energy drinks and alcohol on the supermarket shelves.