Great news for coffee lovers, research suggests that your daily dose of caffeine could help reduce the risk of developing endometrial cancer by as much as 25 percent.

Researchers from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health have discovered that women who consume four or more cups of coffee had 25 percent lower risk of developing endometrial cancer than women who only consume less than one cup of coffee per day. Endometrial cancer is one of the most common forms of uterine cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute about 46,000 new cases of endometrial cancers would be diagnosed in 2011 and 8,000 people would die from the disease. Endometrial cancer is also the most common form of gynecological cancer in Australia and affects one in 69 women under the age of 75. Six women were diagnosed with the cancer every day in 2010 and it is responsible for about 69 deaths in Australia each year, according to statistics from Cancer Australia.

The Harvard researchers asked 67,470 women aged 34 to 59 to record dietary details, lifestyle information and medical history. The study spanned the years from 1980 to 2006. The scientists found that drinking coffee would lessen the risk of endometrial cancer. Drinking four cups of coffee a day for healthy non-pregnant women had no known negative effects.

"This is an observational study - coffee intake is self-selected, not randomized - so our study cannot prove causal relationship between coffee and endometrial cancer risk, but we found an inverse association between coffee and endometrial cancer risk," reported study author Youjin Je, doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Four or more cups of coffee may contribute to lower risk of endometrial cancer by lowering levels of oestrogen and insulin which are related to endometrial carcinogenesis due to increased cell proliferation and reduced cell death."

Je did add that adding a substantial amount of sugar, cream or milk to the coffee would negate the beverage's potential benefits. The study was published online in the November 22 edition of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Eating foods with high levels of selenium and nickel will also cut the risk of developing deadly pancreatic cancer. Researchers from the U.S. and Spain found that eating foods with selenium and nickel can protect people from pancreatic cancer. The latest study published in the journal Gut also found that high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium could boost the chances of developing the disease. Nickel is important in making red blood cells and influences the amount of iron the body can absorb from food. Selenium helps in preventing damage to cells and tissues and plays a role in the immune system. Foods rich in nickel include lentils, oats, asparagus, beans, mushrooms, pears, tea and nuts while selenium can be found in brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, eggs and oily fish like tuna and sardines.

Meanwhile researchers from Texas A&M found that peaches and plums have high antioxidant levels that may help kill breast cancer cells. Another study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer found that walnuts also prevent the growth of breast cancer.