Scientists discover surprising link between coffee and survival after cancer diagnosis

photo: Reproduction Gazeta Brasil

It is estimated that in 2020, there were more than 1.9 million new cases of colorectal cancer and more than 930,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A study by scientists from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France has revealed a new method to reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrence: drinking coffee.

It has been found that people who have had colon cancer and consume more than 4 cups of coffee per day have a lower risk of cancer recurrence than those who consume 2 cups or less. Additionally, these people have a lower risk of death after diagnosis, according to new research recently published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Study results showed that participants who consumed more than 4 cups of coffee had a 32% lower risk of cancer recurrence than those who consumed less than 2 cups per day in terms of relative risk.

Furthermore, the risk of mortality was lower among coffee drinkers, and between 3 and 5 cups of coffee per day appears to be sufficient to improve survival.

This is an observational study funded by the World Cancer Research Fund. The researchers looked at a cohort of 1,700 people from the Netherlands with a median age of 66 who had been diagnosed and treated for colorectal cancer since August 2010.

Experts classified the results as “promising” and estimate that, if other research shows the same effect, coffee consumption could be recommended for people who have had the disease.

Research team leader Dr. Ellen Kampman, professor of Nutrition and Disease at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, explained that the disease recurs in one in five people diagnosed and can be fatal.

“It is intriguing that this study suggests that drinking three to four cups of coffee may reduce the recurrence of bowel cancer,” he said. However, she emphasized that the team found a strong association between regular coffee consumption and the disease, not a causal relationship between the two.

“However, we are hopeful that the discovery is real because it appears to depend on the dose: the more coffee is consumed, the greater the effect,” he added.

Previously, there have been other studies that have linked coffee consumption to a lower risk of cancer. There is already solid evidence that it reduces the risk of liver and uterine cancer. There is also evidence that it would reduce the risk of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and skin. It is also associated with a lower risk of developing bowel cancer.

Professor Marc Gunter, study co-author and Professor of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at Imperial College London School of Public Health, said: “Further research is needed to understand the active ingredients in coffee and how they may influence development and progression. of cancer.”

For example, Gunter suggested, “certain compounds in coffee may reduce oxidative stress in the body, influence the gut microbiome, improve metabolic health, or help protect liver health to prevent the spread of cancer.”

With the support of the Global Fund for Cancer Research, the professor clarified that he hopes to “obtain a much clearer vision and obtain the necessary evidence to make recommendations on coffee consumption for health professionals, patients and the general public”.

Coffee also reduces inflammation and insulin levels – which have been linked to the development and progression of bowel cancer – and may have potentially beneficial effects on the gut microbiome.

“Although the study is interesting, I think we should be cautious. We cannot recommend today that people with colon cancer should drink coffee to avoid recurrences,” Dr. Leandro Steinberg, gastroenterologist endoscopist at Durand Hospital and the Favaloro Foundation, told Infobae.

“As it is an observational study, the published work does not demonstrate a causal relationship. It only indicates an association between coffee consumption and a lower recurrence of colorectal cancer. It is also not clear what type of coffee could be suggested. I believe that more research is still needed to make clinical decisions”, commented Steinberg.

Likewise, the expert highlighted that coffee was “badly regarded” in the past, but there are other studies that have shown that coffee consumption reduces people’s overall mortality.

Meanwhile, Dr. Luis Caro, gastroenterologist, general director of the Center for Gastroenterology Diagnosis and Treatment (GEDyT) and director of the Digestive Endoscopy career at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), opined that “the new published study suggests how many cups per day would be necessary to prevent cancer recurrence. However, a randomized clinical study with a larger sample of participants remains to be carried out.”

Manifestations of colon cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common symptoms of colorectal cancer include:

– Change in bowel habits.
– Blood in the stool.
– Diarrhea, constipation or feeling that the intestine does not empty completely.
– Persistent abdominal pain.
– Unexplained weight loss.

Gazeta Brasil