RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access

Coffee consumption and the risk of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies Liqing Li1,2†, Yong Gan1†, Chunmei Wu1, Xianguo Qu3, Gang Sun1 and Zuxun Lu1* Background: Several observational studies suggest that coffee consumption may be associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, but the results are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship of coffee consumption with gastric cancer risk and quantify the dose–response relationship between them. Methods: Relevant prospective studies were identified by a search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to May 2015 and by reviewing the references of retrieved articles. Two independent reviewers extracted data and performed the quality assessment. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled risk estimates and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic. Publication bias was assessed by using funnel plot, the Begg test and the Egger test. Results: Thirteen prospective cohort studies with 20 independent reports involving 3,368 patients with gastric cancer and 1,372,811 participants during a follow-up period ranging from 4.3–8 years were included. Compared with th