Daily intake of coffee cuts prostate cancer risk by 50%

A morning shot of a brand of coffee, espresso, can do more than just wake you up. It can also help lower your risk of prostate cancer by up to 53 percent, a new study has revealed.

Scientists say drinking three espressos daily can halve your likelihood of developing the disease and suppress the growth of tumors. About one in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one in 36 will die.

Because prostate cancer is the third-leading cause of death in men, the researchers hope that caffeine, which is consumed by the majority of the adult population, will help reduce the number of diagnoses.

The study, conducted by the Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed (IRCCS) in Pozzilli, Italy, looked at about 7,000 men residing in the central region of Molise region for four years and analyzed their coffee consumption habits.

Researchers then compared them with prostate cancer occurrences and found a net reduction of their risk of 53 percent in those who drank three or more cups a day compared to drinking zero to two cups a day.

Confirmation was sought by testing the action of coffee extracts on prostate cancer cells in laboratory studies. They tested, in particular, extracts containing caffeine or decaffeinated. The caffeinated extracts significantly reduced cancer cells proliferation, as well as their ability to metastasize. An effect that largely disappeared with decaf.

“The observations on cancer cells allow us to say that the beneficial effect observed among the 7,000 participants is most likely due to caffeine, rather than to the many other substances contained in coffee”, said Maria Benedetta Donati, head of the Laboratory of Translational Medicine.

A 10-year study of 86,000 female nurses showed a reduced risk of suicide in coffee drinkers.