For years, medical researchers have tried to determine if a link exists between drinking a lot of coffee and colon cancer. There has been considerable medical research done through the years in an attempt to determine if coffee consumption and colon cancer are connected.

It seems the question may have been answered - at least for the time being. 

A study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concludes that those who drink coffee daily -- even four or more cups -- are at no more risk of developing colon cancer than other people who don't drink coffee at all.

Dr. Xuehong Zhang and his team of investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health examined more than a dozen studies from North America and Europe.

Other research has been inconsistent about whether coffee and tea boost the risk of colon cancer. Sugary sodas, meanwhile, are linked obesity and other conditions that are suspected of increasing the chances of getting colon cancer in particular.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health also concluded that there's no higher risk of developing colon cancer among those who drink sweetened beverages daily. They did, however, find a small increase in the risk of colon cancer among those who drank a lot of tea -- 32 oz or more a day. This conclusion, however, needs further research, they said.

The study pooled data on more than 730,000 people scattered around the world, and subjects were followed for anywhere between six and twenty years. 5,600 developed colorectal cancer. The researchers said the findings weren't affected much by factors such as gender, smoking and use of alcohol.

Given the enormous number of the population studies, the beverage volumes and choices of the subjects ran the gamut. Not many adult subjects who drank more than two sweetened beverages every day, which probably means that this study won't be the last word on cancer risk and its relation to sweetened beverages.

But for coffee and tea, at least, the conclusions reached by researchers in this investigation will come as welcome news.

Doctors say no one should neglect colon health as we get older . Regular colon cancer detection tests are suggested for everyone who has reached middle age .