A recent survey has revealed that over a third of health officials and workers strongly believe that over consumption of coffee causes cancer, despite the fact that there is no concrete evidence backing the myth.

It has been revealed that health professional seem less likely to be clued up as compared to the general public, with a whopping 36% believing that coffee can cause development of cancer, as compared to a mere 12% of the general population.

The survey was commissioned by the World Cancer Research Fund and included 143 NHS employees, including nurses, health visitors and GPs.

On the other hand, health professionals did score well on being aware of the fact the poor diet habits can indeed end up causing cancer. 81% of the health officials knew of it as compared to 63% of the public questioned.

"There is no strong evidence that coffee increases the risk of cancer. In fact, we often suggest drinking unsweetened tea or coffee as an alternative to sugary drinks. While I am not surprised that many of the general public are not aware of this, it is worrying to think this may also be the case for some health professionals", said Silvia Pastorino, Health Professionals Publications Manager for the WCRF.