Coffee consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a multicentre case-control study from Italy and Spain

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Background:</jats:title> <jats:p>Coffee contains many bioactive substances that can play a role on colorectal cancer. Epidemiological evidence of coffee intake and colorectal cancer is, however, inconsistent.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Aim:</jats:title> <jats:p>To provide further information on the risk of colorectal cancer in relation to coffee consumption.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods:</jats:title> <jats:p>Data derive from two companion case-control studies conducted in Italy and Spain within the European Union Project on Health Impacts of long-term exposure to disinfection by-products in Drinking Water and the Spanish Multi-Case Control study on Cancer. These included a total of 2289 incident cases with colorectal cancer and 3995 controls with information on coffee intake. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived from unconditional logistic regression models, adjusted for study centre, sex, age, education, smoking, and other covariates.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results:</jats:title> <jats:p>Compared with never coffee drinkers, the OR was 0.99 (95% CI 0.95–1.02) for total coffee consumption. There was no significant trend in risk with dose or duration, the ORs being 0.95 (95% CI 0.72–1.25) for an amount of five or more cups per day of coffee and 0.95 (95% CI 0.75–1.19) for a duration of consumption of 50 years or longer. The OR was 1.04 (95% CI 0.87–1.25) for two or more cups per day of decaffeinated coffee. There were no heterogeneity across strata of various covariates, as well as no apparent differences between various anatomical subsites.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title> <jats:p>This large pooled analysis of two studies shows no association of coffee and decaffeinated coffee with colorectal cancer risk.</jats:p> </jats:sec>