Drinking Espresso May Keep Your Prostate Healthy
Coffee has been shown to provide myriad health benefits, like reducing the risk of developing diabetes and dementia, some cancers, and stroke, turning what was once thought of as a semi-shameful vice into a sort of superfood for the drowsy. Now, scientists in Italy published a study in the International Journal of Cancer which found that three or more daily cups of the dark brew can cut the chance of developing prostate cancer by more than half.
But the style of coffee that produced the surprising results is important, the researchers notethe 7,000 subjects in the study were all living in the Molise, Italy, region and drank Italian-style coffee, which is coffee made with high pressure, high water temp, and no paper filters. Think espresso, or the coffee you make with the silver octagonal stovetop coffee maker called a caffettiera. This method, said study co-author Licia Iacoviello, M.D., Ph.D., different from those followed in other areas of the world, could lead to a higher concentration of bioactive substances.
Researchers analyzed the mens coffee-drinking habits over a four-year period and compared them with the amount of prostate cancer diagnoses in the same timespan, and found that those who had more than three cups of coffee, Italian-style, per day had their risk of getting the cancer reduced by 53%. They also went into the lab and tested how coffee extracts affected prostate cancer cells, and showed that only caffeinated coffee reduced cancer cell growth.
Daily Coffee Drinking Lowers Prostate Cancer Risk Study Suggests
Drinking more coffee may significantly reduce a persons risk of prostate cancer, with a nearly 1% lesser likelihood seen with each additional daily cup of coffee consumed, an analysis of published studies suggests.
Coffee consumption and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis was published in BMJ Open.
Coffee contains a number of biologically active molecules, the most well-known being caffeine. Theoretically, there are several biological mechanisms by which the various molecules in coffee could affect the development of cancer: coffee contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, it can alter metabolism, and it can affect the levels of various hormones.
Prior research has shown that people who drink more coffee are less likely to develop certain types of cancer, such as liver, colon, and breast cancer. The relationship between coffee consumption and prostate cancer risk, however, has been unclear.
Researchers at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University conducted a meta-analysis to better understand the association between coffee and this cancers risk. Meta-analysis is a type of study wherein scientists pool data from relevant, previously published studies. Since they include more data, meta-analyses have greater statistical power than any individual study.
Data included in this meta-analysis come from a total of 16 published studies. Of them, seven were conducted in North America, seven in Europe, and two in Japan.
Prostate Health And Sugar
Highly processed food and refined sugar increases your chances for different medical conditions. According to one study, the connection between high blood sugar, obesity, and benign prostate hyperplasia was observed. It was stated that an enlarged prostate is expected in men who have elevated glucose levels, placing them 3 times more at risk. It has also been suggested in other research that a healthy, balanced daily diet and cutting down the amount of sugar consumed, reduces the chances of prostate cancer. However, you should never shift to artificial sweeteners to replace the sugar because they are among the most harmful ingredients in processed foods. If you really desire something sweet, try to eat something more prostate friendly such as fruits.
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Does Coffee Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk
An increasing number of studies have reviewed the link between compounds in coffee and prostate cancer risk. As evidence increases. coffee is getting its share of the spotlight.
Recently, researchers from Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science in Japan tested coffee compounds against prostate cancer in mice. Specifically, they used cells that were resistant to standard cancer drugs, such as cabazitaxel.
When they added kahweol acetate and cafestol to prostate cancer cells in a petri dish, the cells grew less rapidly.
We found that kahweol acetate and cafestol inhibited the growth of the cancer cells in mice, but the combination seemed to work synergistically, leading to significantly slower tumor growth than in untreated mice,
After 11 days, the untreated tumors had grown by around times the original volume , whereas the tumors in the mice treated with both compounds had grown by around just over times the original size. explains study leader, Dr. Hiroaki Iwamoto.
Coffee May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk
Study Shows Regular Drinking of Decaf or Caffeinated Coffee May Protect Against Prostate Cancer
May 17, 2011 — Men who drink coffee regularly appear to lower their risk of prostate cancer, especially the lethal form, new research suggests.
When the researchers looked at all forms of prostate cancer, ”the highest coffee drinkers had about a 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer during the follow-up,” says researcher Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The 20% lower risk was found in those drinking six or more cups daily compared to none, she tells WebMD.
Coffee protected even more against the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Among those drinking one to three cups a day, the risk of lethal prostate cancer declined 29%, compared to that of nondrinkers. Among those drinking six or more cups daily, the risk for deadly prostate cancer was reduced 60% compared to that of nondrinkers.
The surprise: the risk reduction held for both regular coffee and decaf, leading the researchers to speculate it’s not the caffeine providing the protection.
The study is published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Other research has found coffee can lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and liver cancer.
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Coffee And Prostate Cancer: Go Ahead Have Another Cup
Heres some news about coffee, the good, the bad actually, there is no bad to this story. Coffee is good! If you cant drink caffeinated coffee, decaf is good, too! Heres why:
Although most scientists are not yet willing to step out on a limb and proclaim definitively that drinking coffee prevents cancer or makes you less likely to have aggressive, high-grade disease if you do get it, undeniable evidence from several new studies suggests that this may indeed be the case.
Best of all, theres no downside. If you drink coffee, keep right on drinking it. Fill it to the brim! And if you dont already drink it, you may want to consider it.
Whats going on here? What about coffee has us so pardon the pun perked up? Well, theres a latte to consider, so lets look at the grounds for optimism starting with these findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer:
But what about actually drinking coffee? It turns out that there was an inverse association between coffee intake and prostate cancer risk. In other words, the more coffee the men drank every day, the less likely they were to develop prostate cancer. In this study, the men who drank more than three cups a day had the lowest risk of getting prostate cancer.
Or maybe it was what they were not eating high-fat, high-carb stuff like bacon cheeseburgers and chili fries. Or maybe it was what they were not drinking super-sized sodas, energy drinks, or sweet tea?
And feel free to have another cup of Joe.
Investigating The Potential Implications
I mention these two older studies not only to demonstrate the strength of the relationship between increased coffee intake and lower risk of PCa, but also to ask a question. At what point does research move to the next level? Im a research guy and all for thoroughness and validation through replication, but there is a point when repeated research findings should direct researchers to investigate the potential implications of those findings.
The authors of the 2011 study chose to look at coffee because it contains many beneficial compounds that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and regulate insulin, all of which may influence prostate cancer.7
The 2021 study says, Coffee improves glucose metabolism, decreases concentrations of plasma insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and affects sex hormone levels, all of which may play roles in the initiation, development and progression of prostate cancer.1,8 They are citing many of the same fundamental elements.
Yet, where is the call to investigate how these elements may be harnessed to help men avoid PCa or the worst of PCa, without having to spend the whole day drinking coffee and enduring any non-PCa-related negative health effects that may entail?
They fall back again on replicating the findings of the last decade. This is especially frustrating, given the research finding that coffee reduces the risk of other cancers as well.10
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Should You Be Drinking More Green Tea
If you suffer from an enlarged prostate it can help to drink more water and to reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol. However, when it comes to drinks there is also one thats particularly beneficial if you suffer from this condition and thats green tea! You can find out more about this drink and why its so helpful in todays blog!
Dr. Jen Tan
High Coffee Intake May Help Against Prostate Cancer
Consuming four or more cups of coffee a day could reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence and disease progression, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed 1,001 prostate cancer survivors from a population-based study, aged between 35 and 74 years of age. All survivors had been diagnosed with the disease between 2002 and 2005.
The participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire two years before their prostate cancer diagnosis, and were required to give information regarding their diet and beverage consumption.
The participants were also interviewed about their:
- Demographic and lifestyle information
- Medication use
- Prostate cancer screening history.
The researchers ran a follow-up analysis five years after the participants first diagnosis to find out whether the prostate cancer had recurred and/or progressed. Of the original 1,001 participants, 630 then answered questions about their coffee intake and were included in the final results.
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The Positive Effects Of Coffee
Milan Geybels, a previous student at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author of the study, says the results of this study differ from those of other studies looking at the same link, as the researchers used a composite definition of prostate cancer recurrence/progression. He adds:
We used detailed information on follow-up prostate-specific antigen levels, use of secondary treatment for prostate cancer and data from scans and biopsies to assess the occurrence of metastases and cause-specific mortality during follow up.
Using these detailed data, we could determine whether a patient had evidence of prostate cancer recurrence or progression.
Additionally, the study also revealed that biological activities that are therefore linked to the consumption of phytochemical compounds that are found in coffee could practically exhibit both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
These are the main characteristic derived from the consumption of coffee that is very helpful to prostate health.
The researchers also mentioned that the phytochemical compounds present include the following functions in the body. The naturally-occurring compounds are discussed below:
- Caffeine, which can inhibit cell growth and encourage apoptosis.
- Diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, which can inhibit cancer growth.
- Chlorogenic acid, which can inhibit DNA methylation.
Tips For Cutting Back On Caffeine
Kicking caffeine to the curb may help your BPH symptoms, but doing so can be challenging. Caffeine is a stimulant, and its often addictive. Learn more about the effects of caffeine on the body.
- difficulty concentrating
- flu-like symptoms
Here are some tips to help lessen your caffeine intake and reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms:
- Keep a journal. Knowing how much caffeine you have each day, including caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, medications, and foods, can help you cut back. You may be having more than you realize.
- Dont quit cold turkey. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to be more severe. Instead, gradually reduce your caffeine intake. For example, if you have two cups of coffee each morning, have one instead or make yourself a cup that is half decaf and half regular coffee.
- Brew for less. You can easily reduce the amount of caffeine in your morning cup of coffee by simply brewing it for less time.
- Cut the caffeine. Try herbal or decaf teas instead of regular tea.
- Get enough rest. If youre overly tired, you may be more tempted to turn to caffeine for a quick pick-me-up.
- Take a walk. If you feel tired during the day, try walking for 5 to 10 minutes. This may give you a boost of energy and help you avoid that extra cup of coffee.
Treatment for BPH varies. You may not need treatment, or you may need medication or surgery. In addition to limiting caffeine, you may benefit from these lifestyle habits:
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Two New Studies Have Found That Drinking More Coffee Each Day Could Lead To A Longer Life
The studies, one in the U.S. and one in Europe, and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, tracked over 700,000 people across multiple ethnic groups in over 10 European countries and the U.S. and found that even drinking decaffeinated coffee supplied benefits to individuals over those who did not drink the beverage.
The studies concluded that consuming 1-2 cups of coffee per day resulted in a 12% lower risk of mortality and consuming 2-4 cups a day resulted in an 18% lower risk of mortality. These results in inverse rates of mortality to coffee consumption showed in disease such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and cancer.
This study supports earlier studies that found that coffee consumption is associated with lower risks of high-grade prostate cancer. More studies are underway to better understand this correlation.
Coffee is a complex mixture of compounds that have various biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory properties. It is believed that in addition to these properties, coffee is a source of polyphenols which have potent antioxidant properties, which helps cells cope with free radicals in the blood.
You can find a link to our health and wellness diet and lifestyle guide on our website at PCF.org/guide. And now you can add a few cups of coffee to that!
- Copied
Why Are Coffee & Tea Bad For The Prostate
The prostate is a gland found in men that is responsible for the secretion of semen. As a man ages, this gland tends to become enlarged, causing pressure on parts of the urinary tract such as the urethra and bladder. As a result, you may experience urinary frequency combined with an inability to fully empty your bladder. A chronically enlarged prostate can also lead to incontinence, pain when urinating and infection. While coffee and tea don’t cause an enlarged prostate, they may make symptoms worse.
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The Best Drinks For An Enlarged Prostate
- Pin
The risk of prostate problems increases as men age, as the size of their prostate naturally increases. An enlarged prostate can lead to urinary issues, including the need to get up during the night . Its a frustrating situation all around, but thankfully your diet can help. Were not just talking about food either. You should also focus on the best drinks for an enlarged prostate.
After all, the drinks you choose will influence your bathroom habits, so it makes sense that theyre also relevant for your prostate.
Dont stress though. An increase in prostate size is a natural part of aging. While the symptoms are frustrating and perhaps embarrassing, theyre not inherently dangerous. And, if the symptoms do become too much, there are medical approaches that can help.
While were talking about male health, you could also look at testosterone rich foods. These wont necessarily help with your prostate, but theyre still offer many benefits.
- Alcohol
New Direction In Research May Be Needed
One thing all of the PCa studies seem to have in common is a call for further direct research on coffee. Some of the studies note potential reasons coffee may reduce cancer risk, but the new study finally calls for examining the component parts or qualities that bring about the benefits, but doesnt seem to go nearly far enough.
In addition, of particular interest to many of the men at this site, my dive into the research uncovered a study finding similar benefits related to the risk of recurrent prostate cancer.
This new analysis, published in BMJ Open, looked at 16 studies up to September 2020 and included 57,732 prostate cancer cases and more than one million total study members.1 The highest rates of coffee consumption in the included studies ranged from two to nine cups a day , and the low end ranged from zero to less than two.
Looking at the data across the studies, the researchers found a reduction in prostate cancer risk of 9% from the lowest to highest levels of consumption, and a 1% decrease with each additional cup of coffee.1
When the analysis is broken down into levels of cancer severity, the benefits become even more stark. They found a 7% decrease from lowest to highest consumption in localized PCa, but a 12% decrease for advanced PCa. Best yet, the highest level was associated with a 16% decrease in fatal PCa.1
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