Prostate cancer is a big problem in the US and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related death across the country. Researchers say that prostate cancer affects approximately one in eight men. Interestingly, this is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in most parts of the world.
According to a new study, researchers have found a link between increased amounts of coffee consumption to lower risk associated with prostate cancer. Researchers suggest that coffee can have a protective effect against some types of cancer and this offers a lot of hope to fight cancer in the long run. Health experts are excited about the research as coffee is one of the most popular beverages around the world.
Coffee Consumption Linked With Low Risk Of Prostate Cancer
In this regard, even if consumption of coffee offers a small protection against cancer, it can have a huge effect on the large population to fight certain types of cancer. According to the current research, there are mixed results about coffee offering protective effects against cancer. However, several health experts in the US have said that consumption of coffee can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by some margin.
The researchers also considered the findings of previous studies in this situation. It was generally found that, men with prostate cancer had different coffee consumption habits when compared to the men without prostate cancer. Apart from that, it has also considered other parameters about the overall health condition of the individual.
Researchers reviewed more than 16 studies for their analysis and the studies collectively involved more than 1 million participants across the world. Among them, about 57000 developed prostate cancer. The coffee consumption habits of the participants were reported on a voluntary basis and several studies indicated that higher levels of coffee consumption was linked to lower risk associated with prostate cancer.
When it comes to the amount of coffee consumption on a regular basis, the lowest category had about one drink and the highest had as much as 9 drinks. After analysing the studies, researchers are of the opinion that the highest category of coffee consumption was linked with 9% decrease in the risk of prostate cancer. This was in comparison with the lowest category of coffee consumption.
Apart from that, researchers also found that localised prostate cancer was less likely to develop in the highest coffee consumption category. When it came to advanced prostate cancer, the highest category of coffee consumption was linked to 12% reduction when compared to the lowest category. When it came to fatalities due to prostate cancer, the highest category was linked to 16% reduction in risk compared to the lowest category.
There are many reasons for the link between consumption of coffee and lower risk associated with prostate cancer. Health experts say that coffee improves glucose metabolism in the body and has several anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the body. Apart from that, it also decreases the concentration of Plasma insulin and affects the sex hormone levels which play different roles in the development and progression of prostate cancer in the body.
The study also had some limitations with regards to the reports of coffee consumption. There was no mechanism to accurately assess the coffee consumption of individuals and all the participants self-reported their daily consumption of coffee. Considering this factor, it is possible that some participants may be assigned to the wrong category that could potentially affect the result.
However, as the study included more than 1 million participants across the world, a common factor was noticed and it was evident that higher consumption of coffee was generally linked to lower risk of prostate cancer.