Coffee is a very common beverage we drink every day.
Many people like coffee because its caffeine helps them keep energetic through the day.
Although the added sugar and cream may bring extra calories and may lead to overweight, research has shown that drinking coffee could help protect you from several types of cancer.
One study from UT Southwestern Medical Center finds that coffee drinking is linked a lower risk of getting colon cancer, as well as reduced risk of recurring tumors and death from colon cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer that is diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.
Nearly 5% of men and just over 4% of women developing the disease over their lifetime.
The American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States, over 97,000 new cases of colon cancer and 43,000 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in each year.
Another study from the University of Southampton finds that drinking more coffee could reduce the risk of developing the most common form of primary liver cancer – hepatocellular cancer, or HCC.
HCC is the second leading cause of cancer death globally because of its poor prognosis and high frequency, especially in China and Southeast Asia.
It mostly develops in people who are already suffering from a chronic liver disease.
The team examined health data from 26 published studies, which involved more than 2.25 million people.
They found that drinking one cup more of caffeinated coffee a day was associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of developing the liver cancer.
In addition, drinking two cups more with a 35% reduction, and up to five cups with a halving of the risk.
The study is published in the journal BMJ Open.
The third study published in the International Journal of Cancer finds that drinking Italian-style coffee three or more cups a day could help lower prostate cancer risk.
In the study, about 7,000 men of the Molise region participated. They were observed for four years on average.
The researchers found that people who drank more than three cups a day had a much lower risk of prostate cancer (47%) compared to people who did not drink coffee.
Moreover, only caffeinated coffee extracts strongly reduced prostate cancer risk. This effect was not observed with decaf.
The authors suggest that people should keep in mind that the study is conducted on a central Italian population.
Italian people prepare coffee rigorously, the Italian way: high pressure, very high water temperature and with no filters.
Their future work will examine how the Italian-style coffee preparation could affect cancer risk.
Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Southampton, International Journal of Cancer
Copyright © 2018 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
