All three of the common primary skin cancers — epitheliomas, rodent ulcers and melanomas — are found more frequently in people who have been exposed to excessive amounts of ultraviolet light from the sun. The most obvious cancer to follow overexposure to UVB rays are epitheliomas. It was presumably these scaly tumours that the mice were suffering from. In many ways mice behave very much like people.

No one doubts the benefit of regular steady exercise on the cardiovascular system and a patient’s metabolism. Other surveys in humans have shown that regular exercise can reduce the incidence of tumours including those of the lower bowel. For this reason this work on mice is interesting as it provides experimental evidence from the mice’s DNA to support the clinical and epidemiological studies in human medicine.

Caffeine, the other half of the formula used to treat the mice, has received an undeserved panning from doctors over the years. It is suggested that up to four cups a day may actually be beneficial, except for insomniacs, pregnant women and those with irregular heart rhythms.

It is no surprise that coffee could have an anti-malignant effect in mice, and it is hoped, in humans. Coffee contains a high level of antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce the risk of a wide variety of malignancies, although the evidence has previously lacked such convincing data.

The less happy news for gourmets comes from Cancer Research UK’s epidemiological unit in Oxford, arguably the most renowned team in Britain, whose research showed a 10 per cent increase in risk in bowel cancer in drinkers. For the past 20 years controversy has raged over the effects of alcohol on the incidence of colorectal cancer. The majority have suggested that alcohol intake may be associated with an increased incidence of colon cancer. However at least one study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 1994, suggested that wine protected against cancer in some parts of the colon and rectum, and that alcohol in general was not associated with these cancers.

The difficulty is to exclude the influence of other factors known to be relevant in the diet.

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