Coffee Reduces the Risk of Colorectal Cancer

There is yet another study showing a health benefit of drinking coffee. According to The Economic Times researchers in Sweden have shown than drinking coffee decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.

Coffee lovers, rejoice! Drinking coffee, including decaf, instant and black, may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study which found that the benefits increase with more consumption.

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) examined over 5,100 men and women who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer within the past six months, along with an additional 4,000 men and women with no history of colorectal cancer to serve as a control group.

This study reveals that drinking just a cup or two of coffee a day is related to a 26% reduction in your chances of developing colorectal cancer. And if you up your consumption to two and a half cups a day on the average your risk is reduced by 50%! And the benefits are the same for decaf as for regular coffee. The researchers mention the likely role of antioxidants in limiting the growth potential of colon cancer cells. Several years ago we published an article, More Organic Coffee Can Lead to Less Colon Cancer.

One of the antioxidants obtained during the process of roasting organic coffee may well reduce the risk of getting colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the USA. Methylpyridium is produced as a breakdown product of the antioxidant trigonelline during the roasting process for organic coffee. It is trigonelline, by the way, that gives coffee its aroma and slightly bitter taste.

For many years medical researchers have known that a set of enzymes in the human body, phase II enzymes have a protective effect. They help us avoid getting colon cancer. The higher the level of phase two enzymes you have the lower your risk is of getting colon cancer. Here is where [coffee] comes in. The methylpyridium produced as a natural byproduct of roasting organic coffee raises phase II enzyme levels. In fact more coffee means more methylpyridium which means higher levels of phase II enzymes.

This information is consistent with the fact that drinking more coffee further reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.

The More Coffee the Better?

According to NYMagazine a Harvard nutritionist gives you permission to drink 5 cups of coffee a day in regard to rumors about coffee affecting the lining of your stomach.

Not only is this stomach-lining claim not supported by any evidence – the bulk of the research on coffee highlights the drink’s benefits more than anything else. “Coffee, provided that it is minimally sweetened with sugar and not loaded with whipped cream, can definitely be part of a healthy diet,” Malik wrote. Whether caffeinated or decaf, it “contains a number of healthful vitamins and nutrients” – beyond that, research done by nutrition scientists at Harvard “have shown associations with reduced risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality.”

The best part, though, is this: These benefits are seen when a person consumes up to five cups of coffee per day.

While coffee reduces the risk of colorectal cancer it does a lot more as well. And it is coffee, not some vile tasting medicine. So, enjoy your java!




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