This morning “vice” may help prevent the second most common cancer

I’m not a coffee drinker myself. But I also know that a lot of my patients and readers can’t imagine a day without that morning cup of joe. Which is why I’m always excited to share new research that highlights the benefits of this daily ritual. 

Because the truth is, despite its longstanding reputation as a “vice,” coffee is a bona fide health food. And now, researchers are analyzing its role in the fight against prostate cancer…  

Every extra cup counts 

Researchers analyzed the data from 16 different studies on coffee intake and prostate cancer published through September 2020.  

Of these studies, 15 compared prostate cancer risk between subjects who drank the most and the least coffee, and 13 looked at the effect that each additional daily cup carried. The highest levels of consumption ranged anywhere from two to nine (or more) cups of coffee daily—while the lowest levels were fewer than two cups daily, or no coffee drinking at all. 

The studies spanned the globe, covering North America, Europe, and Japan. In all, there were more than one million subjects—more than 57,000 of whom went on to develop prostate cancer. 

And here’s what researchers found: The highest level of coffee drinking was linked with a nine percent reduction in prostate cancer risk—and each extra daily cup was linked with an addition one percent drop in risk.  

When the researchers broke the data down further, they found that the protection was even greater against advanced and fatal prostate cancer—with the highest intake of coffee lowering the risk of deadly disease by as much as 16 percent.  

And given the fact that prostate cancer is the second most common cancer—and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men—I’d say this is a pretty incredible discovery.  

A few words of warning 

Of course, this is an observational study, which means it doesn’t prove cause and effect. So these researchers stop short of recommending a daily cup of coffee as a source of prevention.  

But as usual, I’m happy to step in—and at the very least, urge you not to feel guilty about your morning cup (or three) of joe.  

As always, adding a little natural sweetener like stevia is fine. But I discourage adding milk and sugar, which cancel out any benefits altogether. (In other words, a Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks is not a cup of coffee.)   

One more note of caution: If you’re suffering from adrenal exhaustion, I actually recommend ditching caffeine altogether, regardless of any potential benefits it might have. And if you use caffeine as a crutch to get you through the day, there’s a good chance that you fall into this category.  

I covered the topic a few years ago in the April 2016 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives (“URGENT WARNING: That sluggish, ‘tired-all-the-time’ feeling may be putting you on the fast track to deadly disease”). Subscribers have access to that article—along with everything else I’ve written on the subject—in my archives. So if you haven’t yet, consider signing up today. 

Source:  

“Higher coffee intake may be linked to lower prostate cancer risk: Each additional daily cup associated with reduction in risk of nearly 1%.” Science Daily, 01/11/2021. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111190137.htm)