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Nope, not a joke: new research has found a correlation between drinking four
cups of coffee each day, and a reduced risk of the spread or recurrence of prostate cancer in men who have been diagnosed with the disease. The researchers behind the study say the results reflect coffee’s health benefits: “bioactive compounds found in coffee and tea may delay the progression of prostate cancer.”
The study at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle involved 140 men, which isn’t a huge study population–so, findings require replication in larger studies.
No, we cannot say coffee prevents or cures cancer. And drinking this much coffee daily may be associated with other health risks, and more so for certain men — for instance, guys who have certain underlying heart problems. But still, it’s interesting research. Coffee as a health beverage! It sure tastes a hell of a lot better than wheatgrass.
From the Abstract:
Methods
We investigated associations of pre-diagnostic coffee and tea consumption with risk of prostate cancer recurrence/progression. Study participants were men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2002–2005 in King County, Washington, USA. We assessed the usual pattern of coffee and tea consumption two years before diagnosis date. Prostate cancer-specific outcome events were identified using a detailed follow-up survey. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).Results
The analysis of coffee intake in relation to prostate cancer recurrence/progression included 630 patients with a median follow-up of 6.4 years, during which 140 prostate cancer recurrence/progression events were recorded. Approximately 61 % of patients consumed at least one cup of coffee per day. Coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer recurrence/progression; the adjusted HR for ≥4 cups/day versus ≤1 cup/week was 0.41 (95 % CI: 0.20, 0.81; p for trend = 0.01). Approximately 14 % of patients consumed one or more cups of tea per day, and tea consumption was unrelated to prostate cancer recurrence/progression.
Coffee and tea consumption in relation to prostate cancer prognosis, Milan S. Geybels, Marian L. Neuhouser, Jonathan L. Wright, Marni Stott-Miller, Janet L. Stanford, August 2013.