More great news for coffee drinkers, as new research strongly suggests a direct correlation between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
The study took place in the US between 1986 and 2008, and analysed the coffee drinking habits of 47,911 men, together with instances of prostate cancer. During this time, some 5,035 of the research candidates developed prostate cancer, with 642 dying from the illness.
The research revealed that the average intake of coffee in 1986 was calculated as 1.9 cups per day, with men who consumed six or more cups per day appearing to have a significantly lower adjusted relative risk for overall prostate cancer, compared with the nondrinkers studied.
Kathryn M. Wilson, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and her team published the enlightening results, concluding with confidence that coffee consumption was not associated with the risk of non-advanced or low-grade cancers.
According to the analysis men who drank the most coffee, around six cups per day, had a 20% lower risk of developing any kind of prostate cancer. Furthermore, if these men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, their risk of dying as a result was no less than 60% lower than normal.
In fact, even coffee drinkers who only put away one to three cups daily, a relatively small amount, were said to see their risk of deadly prostate cancer fall by a heartening 30%.
Coffee contains many biologically active compounds, including caffeine, which have potent antioxidant activity and can affect glucose metabolism and sex hormone levels.
However, the study went on to suggest that the cancer reducing effect of coffee actually has nothing to do with caffeine.
This interesting distinction was brought to light when candidates who consumed decaffeinated coffee were noted to receive the same statistical benefit as those who drank caffeinated, thus leading researchers to theorise that some other constituent of coffee is at work in protecting drinkers from potentially life threatening prostate cancer.
As Wilson and the team observed in their press release, ‘We observed a strong inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of lethal prostate cancer. The association appears to be related to non-caffeine components of coffee.’
Tags: coffee, coffee beans, ground coffee, health
