Recent studies have suggested coffee may provide protection against few cancers and a new study, that more or less falls in the same line, has suggested that regular consumption of caffeinated coffee prevents colon cancer recurrence and reduces risk of death from the same.
According to a new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, there is a possible association between caffeine and colon cancer recurrence with patients consuming coffee regularly being 42 per cent less likely to suffer from recurrence and 33 per cent less likely to die from the disease.
The study involved 1,000 patients who had all been treated with surgery and chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer. It showed that people consuming four or more cups of coffee a day (about 460 milligrams of caffeine) benefited the most.
The study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology notes that those who consumer two to three cups of coffee daily had a more modest benefit, while little protection was associated with one cup or less.
One of the key things about the study was that the ‘prospective’ design of the study eliminated the need for patients to recall their dietary habits including coffee consumption years later, which is a source of potential bias in many observational studies.
“We found that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of the cancer coming back and a significantly greater survival and chance of a cure,” said Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber.
Most recurrences happen within five years of treatment and are uncommon after that, he noted. In patients with stage III disease, the cancer has been found in the lymph nodes near the original tumor but there are no signs of further metastasis. Fuchs said these patients have about a 35 percent chance of recurrence.
Though the results are promising, researchers aren’t too keen on making recommendation to patients until the results are confirmed by other studies. Fuchs says that if colon cancer patients are coffee drinkers, they should continue drinking it while they are being treated and shouldn’t stop.
But patients who aren’t drinking coffee shouldn’t start drinking because of the findings of the study. If they do wish to start, its best that they first discuss it with their physicians.
Researcher note that their analysis has shown that lowered risk of cancer recurrence and deaths was entirely due to caffeine and not other components of coffee. He said it’s not clear why caffeine has this effect and the question needs further study. One hypothesis is that caffeine consumption increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin so less of it is needed, which in turn may help reduce inflammation – a risk factor for diabetes and cancer, Fuchs said.
Other than drinking coffee, Fuchs said, people can take other measures to reduce cancer risks – avoiding obesity, exercising regularly, adopting a healthier diet, and eating nuts, which also reduce the risk of diabetes.
