By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Aimee Keenan-Green

Kathryn Wilson of Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues  reported in the May 17, 2011 issue of the journal of the National Cancer Institute that men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day were 60 percent less likely to develop lethal prostate cancer.

Both regular and decaffeinated coffee was associated with a 20 percent reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.

From the same school, Fang Fang and colleagues reported a study on April 6, 2011 in PLoS ONE suggesting sufficient vitamin D helps reduce risk of dying from prostate cancer.

High levels of serum vitamin D or high exposure to the sun have early been associated with lower risk of various malignancies. The current study examined the association between pre-diagnostic serum levels of 25(OH)vitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25(OH)2vitamin D [1,25(OH)2D and risk of death from prostate cancer.

The study involved 1,822 men diagnosed with prostate cancer who participated in the Health Professional Follow-up Study and Physicians' Health Study. Of the participants, 595 died and 202 suffered lethal prostate cancer.

After adjustment for age, body mass index, physical activity and smoking status, the researchers found men who had their levels of 25(OH)D in the lowest quartile were 22 percent more likely to die, compared to those who had the highest levels. 1,25(OH)2D was not associated with total mortality through.

Also, the researchers found men with the lowest 25(OH)D were 59 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer, compared with those who had the highest. No association was found between 1,25(OH)2D and lethal prostate cancer.

Fang et al. said vitamin D may have an impact on prognosis, which was found particularly evident among patients with blood samples collected within five years of diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The researchers concluded "although potential bias of less advanced disease due to more screening activity among men with high 25(OH)D levels cannot be ruled out, higher prediagnostic plasma 25(OH)D might be associated with improved prostate cancer prognosis."