Coffee Cuts Prostate Cancer Risk

Good news for coffee drinkers -- especially the men.

According to a major study out of the Harvard School of Public Health, the more coffee men drink, the lower their chance of developing prostate cancer.

Researchers found that men who drank six cups of coffee per day had a 60 percent lower risk of developing the most lethal form of prostate cancer -- and a 20 percent lower risk of developing any form of the disease.

At a more modest one to three cups of coffee per day, the risk was cut by 30 percent.

So what it is it about this beloved beverage that helps stave off cancer in men? Not the caffeine; the effects were the same whether the coffee was caffeinated or decaf. From MSNBC:

The benefit is likely linked to other compounds in coffee that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation and regulate insulin … It backs up previous studies that found coffee consumption was associated with lower risk of a wide range of diseases including Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study looked at nearly 48,000 men over the course of 12 years.

Starting in 1986, every four years the men reported their intake of various substances including coffee. The researchers took into account other risk factors such as smoking and obesity and adjusted the findings accordingly. As of 2006, 5,035 men had developed prostate cancer, 642 defined as fatal or metastatic.

The study authors note that further research must be done to validate the findings. If confirmed, this would add be a significant addition to the growing list of coffee's potential health benefits.

WATCH from ABC News:

Comments

[Dr Debrup Chatterjee]

02:53 AM on 05/31/2011

These are all controls and studies ! The "If " factor is always there , so these are not definite studies ,to quote -" lower their - CHANCE - of developing prostate cancer."

[Global Peace Factory]

12:02 PM on 05/24/2011

Great article! The study mentioned in this article proves that coffee can be hugely beneficial to men's health. Studies also show that coffee can help decrease the chances of getting Alzheimer's, Hepatitis C, and Diabetes.So coffee is not only great for men, but women as well. Of course, like most good things, you should drink coffee in moderation. For the best coffee in Dallas, come visit Global Peace Factory. We donate a percentage of every sale to local charities. Why not help someone in need while helping yourself? Every cup counts!

[jjayvee]

12:10 PM on 05/23/2011

I love my coffee!!! I don't smoke and drink alcohol only rarely but every morning, I actually am addicted to a few cups of caffeinated and so what. It is a pleasure I will never give up. Too much does bother my stomach so I keep it down to three cups a day max. After 2 pm, I only drink decaf. Coffee is high in acid and if you have acid reflux, drink less and only drink it with a meal. Its easier on the stomach, believe me.

[50PlusSam]

04:15 AM on 05/23/2011

No matter what miracles coffee does. Most important that after 2 fresh cups I can start the day.
http://www.lifestyle-after50.com/coffee.html

[tinyhands]

02:32 PM on 05/20/2011

Lots of things have antioxidants. What else do people who drink huge amounts of coffee have in common? Many questions with this. With the sample not having been randomized, it would be very difficult to learn from the data that it was exactly coffee antioxidants that caused the protection, instead of simply having associated with a protective factor.

When the researchers themselves say that more research needs to be done, I would be wary of drawing conclusions from the initial findings. I know I'm a buzzkill. Coffee drinkers can still rejoice, because they're obviously doing something right.

[PeterLoffredo]

02:19 PM on 05/19/2011

If it feels good, it is good. That's how I translate the "Pleasure Principle," a concept described by both Sigmund Freud and those who speak through spiritual channels, as an understanding about how we are made as human beings. Thus, as the study out of the Harvard School of Public Health points out, a good dose of coffee a day keeps prostate cancer away.
Yep. It's that time!
Peter Loffredo
http://fullpermissionliving.blogspot.com/

[Tanrioldu]

02:07 PM on 05/19/2011

Fantastic news. I was actually considering getting myself one of those new single-cup coffee machines (Keurig, Tassimo, etc.). Now not only will I get a great drink, but I'll be protecting myself from cancer as well! Double win.

[madcityy]

12:50 PM on 05/19/2011

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW,, BUT SAD FOR ME,,CANT USE COFFEE IF U R IN AFIB...........

[Tanrioldu]

02:02 PM on 05/19/2011

what's AFIB ?

[French Toast]

11:23 AM on 05/19/2011

Basically vary your diet and balance it and you'll get many benefits. I drink the occasional cup and don't worry about it. I don't rely on it, though. I favor tea but it bears mentioning that I drink both tea and coffee plain. I've always favored a single small cup of caffeine in the morning and a small glass of wine in the evening.

I'm pretty abstemious if you couldn't tell.

[Channa]

11:16 AM on 05/19/2011

If not for coffee I would have no personality at all. - Sign seen in a coffee shop. Ha.

[EbonBear]

10:11 AM on 05/19/2011

Given the sheer amount of coffee I drink (20-30 cups a day), I am presumably now going to live forever.

[CRedfield]

10:25 AM on 05/19/2011

And you'll be so wired you'll be a human supernova

[Ohio5470]

10:05 AM on 05/19/2011

I drink 4-6 cups a day and sleep well. I have an amazing burst of energy and am amazinly productive in my morning hours (I work evenings). I really am not aware of any down sides to coffee for me.

[no exit]

08:36 AM on 05/19/2011

I love coffee, morning isn't complete without it. But I don't think I could drink 6 cups, I'd be jumping all over the place.

[PublicCitizen21044]

08:16 AM on 05/19/2011

Coffee is a legal and natural intoxicant and could legally be labeled a drug. How much coffee does one need to drink in order to derive the maximum benefits noted in this study was that 6 cups a day? What are the side effects from drinking that much coffee (nervousness,high anxiety,excessive bowel movements,insomnia, etc)and in what amount does each cup have to contain? If after 12 years of study this is as much as the scientist have derived from the data they have collected whoever paid for this study to be done should ask for a refund instead of funding them for further research. I wonder if Starbucks paid for this study and if it paid to get it published as well as proof the their shareholders/investors that their money was not just being poured down the drain?The research findings are very,very thin.

[Russ Klettke]

10:32 AM on 05/19/2011

This is a very large sampling, and the abstract (follow the link in the story to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute) suggests that many factors were studied in this cohort, not just coffee. Sample size matters quite a bit, but as with all research it builds on what came before and suggests other studies that other researchers can do in follow-up. That's the way science works -- knowledge evolves through critical analysis in peer-reviewed publications. Starbucks was a pretty small company in 1986, when the study started, so it's very unlikely they were the funders.

I drink lots of coffee, am pretty healthy (age 52, running my 50th lifetime triathlon this summer, work part time as a fitness trainer) and get all the sleep I need to live an active life. The study findings, especially how coffee has many other components beside caffeine (and there were no discernible differences btwn caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee), make sense to me.

[PublicCitizen21044]

02:43 PM on 05/19/2011

Thank you for the intelligent and thought provoking response. I like to learn from the people who have actual experience and/or are the most affected by an issue. I am not a male and I do not drink coffee so I am not qualified to judge the results. It just seemed like a very thin thread ot stream of data for a 12 year research study so I thank you for enlightening me as to how the study was conducted overall. Your reply was very informative and greatly appreciated. Fav'd.

[millebocca]

08:14 AM on 05/19/2011

give me a great cup of coffee in the am, give me a lovely glass of red wine in the eve
studies schmuddies

[Barbara]

08:48 AM on 05/19/2011

Great minds think alike! F&F on this comment alone

[millebocca]

09:00 AM on 05/19/2011

cheers!

[Mrald]

10:30 AM on 05/19/2011

I am so with you on those thoughts; coffee in the AM and red wine in the PM!!! I think researchers will say anything to justify their research grants.
Probably 10 years from now after all the men bulk up on coffee a new study will show that in the process of saving the prostate they blew out their thyroid.