Drinking Italian-Style Coffee May Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk by Half: Study

How can drinking coffee possibly help our health? The world of coffee has been shrouded with debate. Should you have it, should you not? In the past few years there have been oodles of research dedicated to the 'good' aspect of coffee. One of the major areas where coffee enjoyed a considerable outing was among fitness enthusiast. Since coffee is a thermogenic, it won the battle over the self-aggrandizing energy drinks. Experts spoke and coffee was then allowed to be had in order to rev up metabolism. "Coffee is a powerful stimulant. It is great for revving up your metabolism. Have it in control and it energizes your brain activity right before a workout," noted Shipa Arora ND, a renowned Health Practitioner, Nutritionist and certified Macrobiotic Health Coach.

Another recently published study links coffee consumption with reduced risk of prostate cancer. A team of Italian experts suggest that drinking close to three cups of coffee in a day can cut the risk of prostate cancer by half. The research examines the Italian way of preparing coffee and its effects on prostate cancer susceptibility in men. Italian coffee is usually prepared sans filters, under high pressure and temperature. The method differs from the coffee that is prepared in other parts of the world.

The Department of Epidemiology and Prevention - I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed, Italy, in collaboration with the Italian National Institute of Health and the I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata of Rome conducted a research which proposed that drinking a minimum of 3 cups of Italian-styled coffee can lower the risk of developing prostate cancer to half.The study was published in the International Journal of Cancer and studied about 7,000 Italian men who were observed for four years. Coffee extracts interactions with prostate cancer cells were studied. Caffeinated coffee extracts were seen to have reduced prostate cancer cells' significantly. The same result was not achieved with the de-caffeinated coffee varieties.

"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 in Italy.

"By analysing their coffee consumption habits and comparing them with prostate cancer cases occurring over time, we saw a net reduction of risk, 53 per cent, in those who drank more than three cups a day," said George Pounis, researcher at IRCCS Neuromed - Mediterranean Neurological Institute in Italy.

Most international health regulatory bodies recommend a person's average caffeine consumption to not exceed 400ml in a day.

Inputs from PTI