Private MD News

Coffee may help fight prostate cancer

Category: Prostate

Data from a new study shows evidence that drinking several cups of coffee a day may help to fight the recurrence and spread of prostate cancer. While the results of the study are not conclusive, the evidence still encourages further study into the subject and may offer hope to those with this type of cancer.

Coffee drinking
The study, performed by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, found that men with a history of prostate cancer who drank four or more cups of a coffee a day prior to their diagnosis were more than 50 percent less likely to have their cancer return or their tumors spread, according to lab tests. The study did not find evidence that other caffeinated beverages, such as tea, helped reduce prostate cancer.

The study involved more than 1,000 men who had survived prostate cancer and focused on their diets before and after their diagnosis. Once the study began, the participants' eating and drinking habits were tracked, and 12 percent of them drank four or more cups of coffee per day.

Experts warned that the results should be taken with a certain measure of caution. Since the study was relatively small and there was no data as to whether the men drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, the results could potentially be misleading.

"This is an interesting study that provides additional evidence for an association between coffee consumption and prostate cancer behavior. However, it is important to recognize that establishing an association does not confirm causality - that is, that the coffee consumption was the factor that was responsible for the less aggressive prostate cancer behavior," Matthew Galsky, PhD, an associate professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, stated.

While more research is needed to determine if coffee can be recommended to fight cancer, the results are encouraging to some researchers. For those with hypertension, coffee may not be a good solution.

Testing
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