Study Reduced risk of colorectal cancer recurrence with four cups of coffee a day

Coffee consumption can reduce the risk of recurrence of colorectal cancer
For a long time, coffee clung to a health-damaging reputation. In recent years, however, there has been increasing evidence that the popular hot drink may be beneficial to health. According to a new study, regular coffee consumption can help to prevent relapses in colorectal cancer.

Coffee had a bad reputation for a long time
For a long time, coffee was assumed to have a harmful effect. Excessive consumption of the popular hot beverage, for example, has been linked to an increased risk of diseases such as hypertension or a heart attack. In recent years, however, various studies have often come to the opposite conclusion. Therefore, coffee can be good for the heart and also prevent arteriosclerosis. And according to Krasimira Aleksandrova, who works at the German Institute for Nutrition Research in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, there is now evidence that coffee can protect against the onset of various cancers such as prostate cancer, oral cancer and bladder. Increased coffee consumption could also reduce the risk of recurrence in colorectal cancer patients, according to a new study.

Coffee reduces the risk of relapse in colorectal cancer. (Image: al62 / fotolia.com)

Four or more cups a day
Patients who have undergone third-line colon cancer treatment have a significantly lower risk of consuming four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day, as reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology journal. again to get the cancer. Thus, the risk is 42 percent lower than the patients who do not drink coffee. Furthermore, the risk is reduced by 33 percent, to die of cancer or other causes. A slightly lower effect is seen in patients whose daily coffee consumption is two to three cups, according to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) in Boston, USA, which is part of Harvard Medical School. In contrast, there was no improvement in patients who did not drink coffee.

Further studies needed
According to study leader Charles Fuchs, the likelihood of recurrence in third-stage colorectal cancer patients after treatment is 35 percent. Patients usually become ill again within five years of treatment. According to the authors, the reduced risk of relapse and death is clearly related to caffeine in coffee. However, as the scientists still can not explain the exact mechanism, further investigations are necessary. According to Fuchs, one theory is that intake of caffeine sensitizes the organism to insulin and reduces the need for this hormone. This in turn could help to reduce inflammation, which is a risk factor for diabetes and cancer.

Coffee protects against various diseases
As mentioned earlier, other studies point to a protective effect of coffee. The risk of breast cancer after menopause, melanoma or liver cancer is thereby reduced. Fuchs advised intestinal cancer patients who drink coffee not to stop using it. "But if you're not a coffee drinker and considering whether to start, talk to her doctor first," Fuchs said in a report published on the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute website. (Ad)