A recent study suggests that men who drink coffee every day could be protecting themselves against prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men. There were 1,276,000 new cancer cases and 359,000 cancer deaths in 2018 with an estimated three-quarters of prostate cancer cases occurring in developed countries.
Coffee is a popular beverage of choice in many countries and that popularity continues to grow. The study showed that coffee is a major source of dietary caffeine, cafestol and antioxidants, and was associated with a lower risk of localized and advanced prostate cancer.
A cohort study in Japan — where coffee consumption is on the rise — also found a significant inverse association between coffee and the risk of prostate cancer. Coffee is also known to increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels.
In conclusion, study authors wrote, “Compared with the lowest coffee intake category, there was a 9% reduction in the risk of prostate cancer for the highest category.”
The study noted that further research is needed, but if the association is further proved to be a causal effect, men might be encouraged to increase their coffee consumption to potentially decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
SOURCE: BMJ Open Medical Journal January 11, 2021