Women who consume six or more cups of coffee daily are 30 percent less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma (like squamous cell, it’s a common though not usually lethal form of skin cancer), according to new research. That means six 8-ounce cups of joe or three grande-size coffees or coffee drinks per day. “Animal studies suggest that caffeine encourages UV damaged skin cells to commit suicide,” says Allan Conney, PhD, director of Rutgers University’s Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research. In other words, the damage accrued from previous sunburns can be undone to a certain extent by caffeine, allowing new, healthy cells to take their place. The same research showed that each 8-ounce cup a woman drank daily was associated with a 5-percent decrease in nonmelanoma skin-cancer risk.