Making too many trips to Starbucks could be both hazardous and beneficial to your health at the same time. Researchers have uncovered a link between coffee drinking and a compound that could increase the risk of cancer of the breast. In an unexpected twist, though, this same compound found in coffee that makes breast cancer cells grow faster could also slow down growth of colon cancer cells. Coffee Drinking and Health: Does It Increase the Risk of Cancer? Researchers at Texas AgriLife Research Center have discovered a natural compound in coffee called trigonelline which mimics the effects of estrogen in the body. Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive meaning that their growth is stimulated by estrogen and substances with estrogen-like properties like trigonelline. The researchers say that this component found in coffee behaves like estrogen at even low levels – although they stopped short of saying that drinking coffee actually increases the risk of breast … [Read more...]