CAFFEINE AND CANCERCaffeine is the most popular drug in North America and in many other parts of the world. It is found in coffee, tea, cola beverages, and chocolate.Coffee drinking may be related to cancer of the lower urinary tract, including the bladder. Studies show that the risk for these cancers is independent of other factors like tobacco smoking, and these cancer rates are very high in persons who drink more than three cups of coffee a day. This risk is probably related to other compounds in coffee as well as caffeine.It is well known that caffeine can cause damage to genetic material and thereby potentially lead to the development of cancer by altering DNA. It also interferes with the normal repair mechanisms of DNA and other genetic material. Caffeine can act as a teratogen, which is an agent that causes mistakes in gene production leading to malformations of a fetus.Excessive coffee consumption by pregnant mothers can lead to lower infant birth weights. Pregnant women who consumed 600 milligrams or more of caffeine per day have a higher incidence of abortion and prematurity.In a study of coffee consumption in 1,130 male college graduates for nineteen to thirty-five years after graduation, it was found that those who drank five or more cups of coffee a day had a 2.8 times higher risk of developing heart disease. This study also showed coffee to be an independent risk factor for the development of heart disease.Although alcohol and caffeine are two important risk factors for cancer, the decision to consume them is yours. You can again decide about the status of your health!*78\360\2*

or unsuccessfully treated cancers give rise to secondary growths.

For each particular type of cancer, there is a characteristic or average pattern. For example, a cancer starting in the bone usually spreads through the bloodstream very early, and the first

secondary growths are nearly always in the lungs. A cancer starting in the bowel usually takes quite a few months before it metastasizes. It then generally goes first through the lymph

channels and next through the bloodstream. The first blood- borne secondary growths usually appear in the liver. Of course, as with all averages, we do not see the same pattern in every

individual. One person with a bowel cancer may not have any warning signs of the disease until a complete blockage of the bowel develops. At the operation, the surgeon may find no traces

of cancer elsewhere. Another person with exactly the same size primary bowel cancer could have multiple secondary growths in the liver, with no symptoms at all from the primary tumour.

Everyone is different, but there are average or usual patterns to guide you and your practitioner in best planning your tests and treatment.

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