Coffee, Citrus, and Alcohol - A Review of What We Drink and How it May Affect our Risk for Skin Cancer

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Climatic and environmental health influence agricultural production and the availability, quality, and variety of foods and beverages, shaping population health. This mini-review summarizes evidence from large prospective cohorts on how dietary intake—especially caffeine-containing beverages, citrus products, and alcohol—may affect skin cancer risk. Higher citrus juice intake (about daily or 5–6 times weekly) is linked to increased keratinocyte carcinomas and malignant melanoma. White wine intake is associated with higher risk, while coffee, tea, and cola show associations with lower basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma risk.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

LITERATURE REVIEW

Citrus and Citrus Juice

YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 96 (2023), pp.205-210. Mini-Review Coffee, Citrus, and Alcohol: AReview of What We Drink and How it May Affect our Risk for Skin Cancer Marcelo Paivaa, Sara Yumeena,*, Benjamin J. Kahna, Hongmei Nanb, Eunyoung Choa,c,d, Elie Salibaa, and Abrar Qureshia aDepartment of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; bDepartment of Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA; cDepartment of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA; dChanning Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Climate change and environmental health are closely linked with agriculture and food supply. The environment influences accessibility, quality, and variety of foods and drinks that are available for consumption, which in turn influences population health. A growing area of research is the role of dietary intake of nutrients and how they may influence risk for skin cancer. In recent years, our group has studied dietary nutrients, particularly those found in commonly consumed beverages, such as those containing caffeine, citrus products, and alcohol, in large prospective cohorts to evaluate how their intake may influence risk for skin cancer. Our data suggest that intake of citrus juices, when consumed around once per day or more, or around 5 to 6 times per week, may be associated with increased risk for both keratinocyte carcinomas (KC) and malignant melanoma (MM) . With regards to alcohol consumption, we have found that intake of white wine may be associated with increased risk for both KC and MM, while beer and red wine have not shown such associations. Lastly, our work suggests caffeinated beverages, including coffee, tea, and cola, may be associated with decreased risk for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and MM. While the associations between food intake and skin cancer development are complex, and remain to be further analyzed in future studies, we hope that our summary may help guide individuals to small changes they may make towards potentially reducing their risk for certain skin cancers. INTRODUCTION Malignant melanoma (MM) and keratinocyte carcinomas (KC), including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are amongst the most common types of cancers in the US population and worldwide [1] . The rising incidence in KC is hypothesized to be attributable to, in part, increased levels of individual exposure to UV radiation, especially in geographical regions with greater levels of ozone depletion [2,3] . As climate change progresses, it is important to understand the role of environmental health, including effects on agriculture and access to food, and how this may further influence development of skin cancer. *To whom all correspondence should be addressed: Sara Yumeen, MD, Department of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI; Email: [sara_yumeen@brown.edu](sara_yumeen@brown.edu); ORCID: 0000-0002-5729-5909 . Abbreviations: KC, keratinocyte carcinomas; MM, malignant melanoma; BCC, basal cell carcinoma; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma. Keywords: Furocoumarin, citrus, citrus juice, alcohol, white wine, caffeine, coffee, malignant melanoma, keratinocyte carcinoma Copyright © 2023 205 206 Paiva et al.: Coffee, citrus, and alcohol and risk for skin cancer Climate change and environmental health are closely linked with agriculture and food supply. The environment influences availability, quality, and variety of foods and drinks that are available for consumption, which in turn influences population health [4] . While the association between food and drink intake with risk for skin cancer remains poorly understood, several studies have attempted to elucidate links between consumption of dietary substances and incidence of skin disease [5-8] . Herein, w

FAQs

How does the review link climate and environmental health to skin cancer risk?

It explains that climate change affects agriculture and food supply, which changes the accessibility, quality, and variety of foods and drinks. These shifts then influence population health and may contribute to skin cancer risk patterns.

What citrus-related intake is associated with higher skin cancer risk in the review?

Intake of citrus juices consumed around once per day or more, or about 5 to 6 times per week, is associated with increased risk for both keratinocyte carcinomas and malignant melanoma. Higher citrus product consumption is also discussed as increasing keratinocyte carcinoma risk.

Which beverage associations with skin cancer risk are reported for coffee and alcohol?

Caffeinated beverages including coffee, tea, and cola may be associated with decreased risk for basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. For alcohol, white wine is associated with increased risk for both keratinocyte carcinomas and malignant melanoma, while beer and red wine show no such associations.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys