Coffee and tea intake and risk of brain tumors in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort study.
BACKGROUND
In a recent US cohort study, total coffee and tea consumption was inversely associated with risk of glioma, and experimental studies showed that caffeine can slow the invasive growth of glioblastoma.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to examine the relation between coffee and tea intake and the risk of glioma and meningioma in a large European cohort study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).


METHODS
Data on coffee and tea intake were collected from men and women recruited into the EPIC cohort study. Over an average of 8.5 y of follow-up, 343 cases of glioma and 245 cases of meningioma were newly diagnosed in 9 countries. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relation between coffee and tea and brain tumors.


RESULTS
We observed no associations between coffee, tea, or combined coffee and tea consumption and risk of either type of brain tumor when using quantiles based on country-specific distributions of intake. However, a significant inverse association was observed for glioma risk among those consuming ≥100 mL coffee and tea per day compared with those consuming <100 mL/d (hazard ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.97; P = 0.03). The association was slightly stronger in men (hazard ratio: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.34, 1.01) than in women (hazard ratio: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.42, 1.31), although neither was statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
In this large cohort study, we observed an inverse association between total coffee and tea consumption and risk of glioma that was consistent with the findings of a recent study. These findings, if further replicated in other studies, may provide new avenues of research on gliomas.
Michaud
Dominique S
DS
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom. dominique_michaud@brown.edu
Gallo
Valentina
V
Schlehofer
Brigitte
B
Tjønneland
Anne
A
Olsen
Anja
A
Overvad
Kim
K
Dahm
Christina C
CC
Teucher
Birgit
B
Lukanova
Annekatrin
A
Boeing
Heiner
H
Schütze
Madlen
M
Trichopoulou
Antonia
A
Lagiou
Pagona
P
Kyrozis
Andreas
A
Sacerdote
Carlotta
C
Krogh
Vittorio
V
Masala
Giovanna
G
Tumino
Rosario
R
Mattiello
Amalia
A
Bueno-de-Mesquita
H Bas
HB
Ros
Martine M
MM
Peeters
Petra H M
PH
van Gils
Carla H
CH
Skeie
Guri
G
Engeset
Dagrun
D
Parr
Christine L
CL
Ardanaz
Eva
E
Chirlaque
Maria-Dolores
MD
Dorronsoro
Miren
M
Sánchez
Maria José
MJ
Argüelles
Marcial
M
Jakszyn
Paula
P
Nilsson
Lena M
LM
Melin
Beatrice S
BS
Manjer
Jonas
J
Wirfält
Elisabet
E
Khaw
Kay-Tee
KT
Wareham
Nick
N
Allen
Naomi E
NE
Key
Timothy J
TJ
Romieu
Isabelle
I
Vineis
Paolo
P
Riboli
Elio
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003069:Coffee / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013662:Tea / Q000009:adverse effects
D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D003069:Coffee; D028321:Plant Preparations; D013662:Tea