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Study: Drinking coffee can lower risk for skin cancer

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Good news for coffee lovers.

A new study suggests the more coffee you drink, the lower your risk of developing the most common type of skin cancer.

The new study shows increasing the amount of coffee you drink could lower your chances of developing basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. The study in the journal Cancer Research looked at nearly 113, 000 men and women over 20 years and found the more caffeinated coffee people drank, the lower their risk of developing basal cell carcinoma. 

Researchers say it’s probably the caffeine in coffee that lowers risk. Previous animal studies suggest caffeine can block skin tumors from forming. 

Close to 3 million cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the US each year. Experts say the findings are interesting, but they don't want people loading up on coffee or throwing out their sunscreen.