Coffee, black tea and risk of gastric cancer

To provide information about the association of coffee, black tea with gastric cancer risk.

Between 1985 and 2007, we conducted two case-control studies in northern Italy. Overall, cases were 999 subjects with incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer and controls were 2,628 patients admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute non-neoplastic diseases. Odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for coffee (mostly espresso and mocha) and black tea consumption were estimated after allowance for socio-demographic data, smoking, and other major covariates of interest.

When compared with non-coffee drinkers, the OR was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.73-1.22) for drinkers of one cup of coffee per day, 1.03 (95% CI: 0.80-1.32) for two, 1.07 (95% CI: 0.82-1.40) for three, and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.94-1.65) for four or more cups per day. No association was found with reference to duration of coffee consumption, or consumption of decaffeinated coffee. When compared with non-black-tea drinkers, the OR was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.56-1.42) for drinkers of two or more cups of black tea per day.

Our investigation, based on a uniquely large dataset, provides convincing evidence that coffee and black tea consumption is unlikely to be strongly associated with gastric cancer risk.