To say that coffee is totally healthy still provokes controversy. However, a survey carried out in the US and published recently by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) revealed that three or more cups a day of typical Italian coffee recipes, such as mocha, espresso, as well as combinations that add milk, like café latte, macchiato and the famous cappuccino, can significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
“This information was obtained through the collection of local epidemiological data. However, it is possible, to a certain extent, to consider this research as a parameter for our day-to-day life as well”, says the oncologist at Hospital do Coração (HCor), Dr. Auro Del Giglio.
The study established an inverse relationship between the consumption of different styles of coffee and the risk of prostate cancer seen in a cohort of approximately 50,000 men being followed up in the context of a large ongoing epidemiological study entitled The Health Professionals Follow-up Study. “By joining the survey, each participant filled out questionnaires that assessed both their daily coffee intake and their routine diet for approximately 20 years”, adds the doctor.
During the study period, one hundred new cases of prostate cancer were found among the participants. Using such occurrences as a parameter, the research identified an 18% reduction in the risk of prostate cancer in participants who drank more than three cups of Italian types of coffee compared to those who drank up to two cups of coffee of the same type per day.
Prostate cancer cells from participants who developed the disease during the research were also analyzed. “When the investigators evaluated the data according to the caffeine content, that is, whether there was a caffeine or decaffeinated beverage, there was no difference in the protective capacity for the development of prostate cancer. So this effect must be attributed to some component other than caffeine,” says Dr. Del Giglio.
The doctor adds that this is an epidemiological study that points to an inverse and significant association between coffee consumption and prostate cancer. “However, studies like this one do not establish a causal relationship between prostate cancer and coffee consumption, so that we cannot, with these data, recommend increasing the consumption of this type of drink”, emphasizes the oncologist from HCor.
