A new study has found that drinking coffee a day could show promise in preventing the relapse of colon cancer among patients. Aside from that, it has a promising benefit to prevent death from the disease.
In the study published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the researchers incurred their findings after following around 1,000 people with stage II colon cancer that had metastasis to nearby lymph nodes but not the rest of their body. All the patients had surgery, chemotherapy and had a diary of their dietary habits and exercise routines every day.
They discovered that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had 42 percent less risk to have cancer relapse than those who did not drink coffee. On the other hand, there is a 33 percent less risk for them to die of colon cancer or anything else during the period of the study. Also, drinking at least two to three cups of coffee a day could offer benefits too, reports The New York Times.
However, the researchers say that caution should be implemented as people should not start ordering tall cups of coffee because the findings do not point out the cause and effect relationship between drinking coffee and lower risk of colon cancer recurrence.
Yet according to Dr. Charles Fuchs, author of the study from Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, "People who consumed two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day have a poorer outcome." Furthermore, NBC News reports that the researchers were not able to determine if the patients drank black coffee or if they drank it with creamer or milk. They are recommending to add these factors in a follow up study.
"The bottom line is that there are patients for whom the cancer recurs despite our best efforts and we wanted to see what diet and lifestyle could modify that risk," Dr. Fuchs said.
Lastly, Dr. Fuchs added, "We believe that activating the energy pathways that contribute to heart disease and diabetes is also relevant for the proliferation of cancer cells."