Coffee Itself Isn't Cancerous, But World Health Organisation Finds Another Danger

If you're like many around the world who enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, you'll be happy to know that the World Health Organisation has released its long-anticipated report on the drink, and its findings bode well for your health.

In reviewing the most recent scientific evidence over the 25 years since its last analysis on coffee, the WHO concluded that coffee should no longer be considered a carcinogen and that it may actually have positive effects for your body when it comes to liver and uterine cancers.

HOWEVER...

"Very hot" beverages "probably" cause cancer. This is mostly based on studies related to the consumption of a traditional drink called mate or cimarron in South America where the tea can be taken at temperatures around 70C. 

The findings were published in The Lancet Oncology on Wednesday.

"These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of esophageal cancer and that it is the temperature, rather than the drinks, that appears to be responsible," said Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

he coffee issue is also far from definitively resolved. Early work shows that there may be at least one place in your genes that may determine whether you process caffeine quickly or slowly, and that there is a roughly 50-50 split among humans.

"A one-size-fits-all recommendation for coffee won't work. Some people just can't tolerate it," Marilyn Cornelis, a Northwestern medical school professor, said at the time.