Dr. Samadi's Tip: The Benefits of Coffee

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There has been so much about coffee in the news these past few months. A number of significant studies have look at its effects on reducing everything from heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Here's what you need to know. There's been a number of reviews around studies that have cited the benefits of various aspects of drinking coffee. Most studies recognize a "cup of coffee" being an 8 ounce serving and when we talk about coffee, we mean black coffee, not with milk, sugar, syrup and other additives. Across the board of most studies, 3-4 cups per day for most everyone is where the peak benefit can be traced to.  Pregnant women and those who suffer from acid reflux and other issues should stay away.

There has been so much about coffee in the news these past few months. A number of significant studies have look at its effects on reducing everything from heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Here's what you need to know. There's been a number of reviews around studies that have cited the benefits of various aspects of drinking coffee. Most studies recognize a "cup of coffee" being an 8 ounce serving and when we talk about coffee, we mean black coffee, not with milk, sugar, syrup and other additives. Across the board of most studies, 3-4 cups per day for most everyone is where the peak benefit can be traced to.  Pregnant women and those who suffer from acid reflux and other issues should stay away.

COFFEE AND CANCER

Again some of the ingredients like chlorogenic acid and antioxidants are anti-inflammatory agents, which reduce inflammation. This is the leading factor in the progression of most cancers.  

Notable studies:

  • January 2015: National Cancer Institute published a study showing that people who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 20% lower risk of melanoma than non-coffee drinkers.
  • February 2015: AACR journal found that women who drink four cups a day have a reduced risk of endometrial cancer.
  • Late March 2015 U.K. researchers released an analysis of 34 studies conducted around the world and concluded that coffee consumption—even just one cup a day—reduces the risk of liver cancer
  • Scientists still cannot determine what ingredient in coffee stunts tumor growth or reacts with cancer cells. But all these studies are leading us to the root connection.

Boiled Coffee and Prostate Cancer

A new study from Norway found that men who drink boiled coffee may have a lower risk of prostate cancer. The study was conducted by Dr. Aage Tverdal of the Department of Pharmacoepidemiology at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and was published in the British Journal of Cancer.

The study came after a report published in 2007 by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research said there is limited evidence linking coffee and prostate cancer. Since this report, studies such as this one have been coming out showing either no link between the two or linking the two. One study compared boiled coffee to filtered coffee among a few different types of cancer, but the results did not relate to prostate cancer.

The evidence within this study which strengthens the relation between boiled coffee and prostate cancer comes from two diterpenes – cafestol and kahweol – which are substances present in boiled coffee which have been found to have anti-carcinogenic effects. The coffee’s paper filter can actually trap these substances. Boiled coffee is non-filtered. When comparing boiled coffee to non-boiled coffee in relation to prostate cancer, it is this evidence which differentiates this study from the rest.

The study involved 224,234 men between ages 20-69 years old. Samples were taken from the Norwegian cardiovascular screening program. From 1985 to 1999, these patients coffee habits were recorded. Of this group, there were 5,740 prostate cancer cases found.

For boiled coffee, men who drank one to four, five to eight, or nine or more cups per day of boiled coffee had hazard ratios of 0.84 (0.73–0.96), 0.80 (0.70–0.92) and 0.66 (0.55–0.80). For non-boiled coffee, hazard ratios were 0.89 (0.80–0.99), 0.91 (0.81–1.02) and 0.86 (0.74–1.00). Both were compared to men who do not drink coffee. According to the National Cancer Institute, the hazard ratio is a measure of survival at any point in time in a group of patients who have been given a specific treatment compared to a control group given another treatment or a placebo. A hazard ratio of one means that there is no difference in survival between the two groups. A hazard ratio of greater than one or less than one means that survival was better in one of the groups.

The results suggest that there is a lower risk of prostate cancer among men who drink boiled coffee as opposed to men who drink non-boiled coffee. There is also an inverse relationship between the prostate cancer risk in men who drank boiled coffee the number of cups these men drank per day.