foodconsumer.org: Drinking coffee may lower advanced prostate cancer risk

Drinking coffee may lower advanced prostate cancer risk
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admin on 12/08/2009 12:42:00
 
By Jimmy Downs
Regularly Drinking coffee may help prevent advanced or lethal prostate cancers,
according to a new study presented at the American Association for Cancer
Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference.
The study by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of
Public Health revealed a strong inverse association between coffee consumption
and the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers.
"Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone
levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there
may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer," said co-author of the
study, Kathryn M. Wilson, Ph.D.
Wilson and colleagues found that men who drank the most coffee were 60 percent
less likely to suffer aggressive prostate cancer than men who did not drink any
coffee.
The study is the first of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate
cancer and risk of all kinds of prostate cancer including localized, advanced
and lethal prostate cancer, according to a press release by Harvard medical
School.
"Few studies have looked prospectively at this association, and none have looked
at coffee and specific prostate cancer outcomes," said Wilson. "We specifically
looked at different types of prostate cancer, such as advanced vs. localized
cancers or high-grade vs. low-grade cancers."
However, the researchers discovered that caffeine may not play a role as it is
actually not associated with risk of prostate cancer.  It is unknown which
components of the beverage are responsible for the protective benefits.
The study used data from the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study involving
50,000 men.  The researchers documented the regular and decaffeinated coffee
intake of the men every four years from 1986 to 2006.  Of the participants,
4,975 of these men developed prostate cancer during the follow-up.
Among a subset of men of the cohort, Wilson and colleagues also examined the
cross-sectional association between coffee consumption and levels of circulating
hormones in blood samples.
"Very few lifestyle factors have been consistently associated with prostate
cancer risk, especially with risk of aggressive disease, so it would be very
exciting if this association is confirmed in other studies," said Wilson. "Our
results do suggest there is no reason to stop drinking coffee out of any concern
about prostate cancer."
The study is not a trial.  The association does not necessarily mean that
drinking coffee can definitely help reduce risk of lethal and advanced prostate
cancers, a scientist told foodconsumer.org.  It is too early to recommend men
start drink coffee to prevent prostate cancer.
Caffeine in coffee can cause "insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach
upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side
effects. Consuming large amounts of coffee might also cause headache, anxiety,
agitation, ringing in the ears, and irregular heartbeats," webmd.com states.
Prostate cancer is diagnosed in about 200,000 men in the United States each year
and kills 27,000 annually, according to the National Cancer Institute.