Coffee May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk
For many years, people have thought that drinking a lot of coffee is dangerous to the body. If you love drinking coffee, then you will be happy with this news. Researchers from the National Israeli Cancer Control Center noted that drinking coffee may lower your colon cancer risk by as much as 50%. Whether you drink decaf or regular coffee, there is no difference when it comes to its health benefits.
The Research Says Antioxidants Are King
So what makes coffee very beneficial in lowering colon cancer risk? Senior researcher of the study, Dr. Gad Rennert, noted that coffee has high antioxidant properties that are released during the roasting process. The research studied more than 5,100 colon cancer patients in northern Israel, comprised both of women and men. The patients were then compared to more than 4,000 individuals who do not have any trace of colon cancer.
During the study, participants reported the amount of coffee that they drank as well as the types of coffee. Moreover, the participants also reported any risk factors such as diet, family history, smoking, and physical activity. However, Dr. Rennert indicated that drinking coffee does not lower the possibility of colon cancer, but is associated with reduced risk. This means that people who drink coffee every day are found to have fewer risks for developing colon cancer. The mechanism is still a mystery to date.
How Much Coffee Should You Drink?
How much coffee is good for the body? The researchers found out that drinking one to two cups of coffee daily is linked to a 26% reduction in colon cancer risk. For people who drank more than two cups of coffee, the risk was lowered to 50%. The type of coffee does not affect the health benefits thus whether you drink decaf, espresso, instant, or filtered coffee, the benefits are the same.
What Do Other Studies Say About Coffee and Colon Cancer Connection?
Dr. Andrew Chan from the Harvard Medical School in Boston noted that there is a lot of evidence that supports the association of coffee and low colon cancer risk. What most studies lack is to identify the specific protective agents in coffee that can lower the risk for colon cancer. But what is most interesting is that studying the effects of coffee can also lead to clues on how colon cancer develops.
Similar studies have shown the same results. According to Susan Gapstur from the American Cancer Society, the studies that included the collection of information regarding the diet of the participants revealed that there is no significant value when it comes to lowering the risk of colon cancer. This means that non-coffee drinkers can also have reduced a risk of colon cancer based on the type of diet that they enjoy.
Colon cancer risk is very high especially now that people live very unhealthy lifestyles. The news that coffee can lower the risk is very exciting especially for individuals who love to drink coffee. Tomorrow afternoon when you start to yawn, don’t worry about drinking that third cup of coffee, because it might just save your colon one day.
Inspired by consumer.healthday.com
