The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, the British Journal of Cancer and here you can just read the extract only. Dr Helena Jernström and colleagues from Lund University and Malmo University in Sweden, carried out this research. The study was funded by The Swedish Research Council and several other Swedish foundations.
CYP1A2 plays a key role in the metabolism of both estrogen and coffee
It said that researchers had questioned nearly 300 women on how much coffee they drank, and then measured the size of their bust. The study found that “three cups was enough to make breasts shrink”, with the effect increasing with each cup. The newspaper said there is “a clear link between drinking coffee and smaller breasts”, as about half of all women possess a gene that links breast size with coffee intake.
This was a cross section study in which the authors aimed to investigate whether coffee intake was associated with breast volume and how this was modified by a particular variant of gene CYP1A2*1F (the A/A genotype). The gene codes for the CYP1A2 enzyme, which plays a role in both coffee and oestrogen metabolism. Women with the A/A genotype who have a high caffeine intake have previously been shown to have a higher ratio of certain types of oestrogens, which is thought to be protective against breast cancer.
The researchers recruited 269 Swedish volunteers (average age 29) who completed a questionnaire on reproductive issues, use of contraception, smoking, coffee consumption (large 300ml cups or small 150ml cups), and other information (not included in this report). Body measurements were taken at set times during the menstrual cycle. The women’s breast volume was assessed by asking them to take a kneeling position with the breasts hanging down. The approximate volume was then worked out by a simple calculation (base x height divided by three). Laboratory methods were used to analyse the CYP1A21F gene, and levels of oestrogen and other hormonal factors. In their statistical analyses, the researchers looked for any associations between the CYP1A21F genotype (either A/A or not) and drinking three or more cups of coffee per day.
Women should not worry too much on Coffee drinking as their breasts will not shrink overnight. They will get smaller, but will they disappear altogether? No, it is not going to happen. On the positive side, the study showed regular hits of caffeine reduce the risk of women developing breast cancer. Go grab a coffee Girl
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