On several sins of Coffee in Cancer Circle

[abstract] from reducing the risk of death, to reducing the risk of some cancers and diabetes, to reducing the risk of depression and Parkinson's disease. Coffee seems to have become the darling of medicine.

From reducing the risk of death to reducing the risk of some cancers and diabetes, to reducing the risk of depression and Parkinson's disease. Coffee seems to have become the darling of medicine. Today, let's take an inventory of the research that researchers have done on coffee to discuss several "sins" of coffee in the cancer community.

Reduce the risk of colorectal cancer

A recent study reported by Stephanie L. Schmit of the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Southern California in Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev showed that coffee reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 26%.

Data from the study showed that after correcting known risk factors, moderate coffee consumption (one to two servings a day) reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 26 percent. And with the increase of coffee consumption, the risk of colorectal cancer gradually decreased, this trend is obvious in both colorectal cancer and rectal cancer.

This inverse relationship exists in both decaf and regular coffee.

What a surprise! Caffeine doesn't work alone. "Coffee contains a variety of ingredients that promote colorectal health, caffeine and polyphenols have antioxidant effects, melanoidins can promote colon peristalsis, and diterpenes can resist oxidative stress," the researchers said. "

Reduce cancer recurrence rate in patients with colon cancer

Researchers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute have reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology theJournalofClinicalOncology that regular coffee drinking can significantly reduce tumor recurrence and improve the survival of patients with stage 3 colon cancer.

The study found that patients who drank four or more cups of coffee a day (with about 460 milligrams of caffeine) were 42% less likely to have cancer recurrence than those who did not drink coffee. During the follow-up period, patients who regularly drank four or more cups of coffee were 33% less likely to die from cancer or any other cause than those who did not drink coffee.

Further analysis showed that the lower risk of cancer was due to the amount of caffeine absorbed by patients, not the amount of other ingredients in coffee.

Reduce the risk of liver cancer

Researchers from the Ministry of Clinical Science and Public Health of the University of Milan and the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacology in Milan have reported in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology that consumption of any type of coffee may reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma by up to 50% (depending on intake).

The researchers say the positive effect of coffee in preventing liver cancer may be due to the well-known preventive effect of coffee on diabetes, which is one of the causes of liver cancer; another possibility is that coffee can prevent liver cirrhosis. it has a beneficial effect on the enzymes in the liver.

However, it is also possible that the statistical results are affected by the fact that patients who already have HCC generally avoid drinking coffee, so it is not clear whether caffeine plays an additional role in preventing liver cancer.

Reduce the risk of melanoma

Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of skin cancer by 20 percent over a decade, according to a study published on January 20, 2015 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute of the National Cancer Institute.

More than a decade of research has found that excluding age, diet, family history and only considering the relationship between caffeinated coffee and melanoma, more than four cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of skin cancer by 20% over a decade.

In theory, various ingredients in coffee have been shown to affect a considerable number of molecular pathways that reduce the risk of ultraviolet-related skin cancer. However, such a large sample study on humans is still very persuasive.

It can also inhibit the growth of breast cancer.

For women diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with tamoxifen, drinking coffee can inhibit tumor growth and reduce the risk of recurrence, researchers at Skane University Hospital at the University of Lund in the UK reported in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

The results showed that among at least 500 women treated with tamoxifen, women who drank at least two cups of coffee a day had half the risk of breast cancer recurrence as those who drank less than two cups of coffee or did not drink coffee. and the tumor is smaller and has a lower incidence of hormone-dependent tumors.

The researchers believe that caffeine and caffeic acid can block cell cycle progression and enhance cell death, enhancing the efficacy of tamoxifen treatment.

Reduce the risk of head and neck cancer

A survey of head and neck cancer by the Aichi Prefecture Cancer Center in Japan found that people who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had a 40% lower risk of head and neck cancer than those who drank less than one cup.

Coffee, don't stop!

From reducing the risk of death to reducing the risk of some cancers and diabetes, to reducing the risk of depression and Parkinson's disease. Coffee seems to have become the darling of medicine.

But there never seems to be a definite answer to the question about coffee, although most studies have shown that for most people, the benefits of coffee outweigh the disadvantages. But no researcher is willing to give a hint of "please drink as much coffee as you want."

The most conservative statement is: if you are a coffee drinker and are being treated for some cancer, don't stop drinking. Healthy people who do not have the habit of drinking coffee might as well cultivate the habit of drinking coffee from now on.

How much coffee should I drink every day?

Professor Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues conducted a large study that suggested that among subjects who never smoked, those who drank 1 cup, 1-3 cup, 3-5 cup and > 5 cup of coffee a day reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 6%, 8%, 15% and 12%, respectively.

The decrease in mortality is mainly related to the decrease in cardiovascular mortality, nervous system disease mortality and suicide mortality. The study was published Nov. 16, 2015 in the journal Circulation.

Combined with some previous studies that reduce the risk of cancer, maybe 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day is a good choice.