By Caribbean Medical News Staff
Scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute conducted a study using caffeinated coffee and have discovered that regular coffee intake may be linked with significantly reducing cancer relapse and increasing survival in patients with stage 3 colon cancer.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, revealed that the greatest benefit came from consuming four or more cups of coffee a day.
Typically, Americans drink around three cups of coffee a day, with 54% of Americans over the age of 18 consuming coffee every day. Such is the dominance of this sizzling drink, it isn’t a wonder that much research has been conducted into investigating the influence that coffee has on the body.
Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber and leading author Charles Fuchs said: “We found that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of the cancer coming back and a significantly greater survival and chance of a cure.”
The consumption of coffee is frequently linked to a wide array of medical conditions. In recent months, studies showed that coffee consumption could raise the risk of mild cognitive impairment and reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction.
Historical observational studies have found that colon cancer is more likely to recur in people with elevated levels of insulin, as well as associating increased coffee consumption with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and increased insulin sensitivity.
In the study, 953 patients with stage 3 colon cancer completed dietary pattern surveys during and 6 months after receiving chemotherapy treatment. The scientists specifically focused on the effect of coffee, non-herbal tea and caffeine on cancer recurrence and mortality.
The results showed that patients who drank four or more cups of coffee a day – around 460 milligrams of caffeine – were 42% less likely to have their cancer recur than patients who did not drink coffee at all. The patients who regularly drank four or more cups of coffee were also 33% less likely to die from cancer or any other cause during the follow-up period.
Additional examination of their results suggested that the lower cancer risk was attributable to the amount of caffeine consumed by the patients rather than other components of the coffee.
The exact mechanism behind these conclusions is presently unknown, although scientists suggest it may be that caffeine consumption increases insulin sensitivity. This means that less insulin is required by the body, potentially reducing inflammation which is a risk factor for both cancer and diabetes.
