Three cups of coffee a day, prepared in the Italian style, might just keep prostate cancer away. In a new study that was reported in a story on EurekAlert.org, it was found that coffee prepares in the Italian way, meaning no coffee filters and with very high temperatures and pressure, decreased the risk for prostate cancer by 53% in participants who drank more than three cups of coffee a day.
For the study, which was published in the International Journal of Cancer, around 7,000 men from Italy’s Molise region were observed for an average of four years. Caffeine was pointed out by the researchers to be the main component that helped prevent prostate cancer. Also, the team lab-tested coffee extracts, caffeinated and decaffeinated, on prostate cancer cells. The results showed that the caffeinated extract is the only one that slowed the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. This finding leads the researchers to a conclusion that the cancer-fighting properties of coffee is mainly due to the caffeine, and not the drink’s other components.
Furthermore, the study noted that coffee prepared in Italian way may result in a cup that contains a higher amount of bioactive substances, which may be the reason why Italian coffee is more potent against prostate cancer than coffee prepared via other methods.
Who Are At Risk?
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men. One out of seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. Moreover, this type of cancer is also among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in American men, just behind colorectal and lung cancer.
Men aged 65 or older were mostly the ones diagnosed with prostate cancer, while it is rare among men below 40 years old. Age greatly increases the risk for the dreaded disease. After age 50, the risk rapidly rises.
The known conventional courses of treatment for prostate cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, hormone therapy, and cryosurgery – all of which are considered to have low chances of effectively eliminating the disease.
When it comes to prostate cancer, it is said that prevention is better than cure. According to studies, the known traditional prostate cancer treatments have just resulted in a lower quality of life in patients. A story published on UPI.com shared data from the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite, which examined around 5,700 prostate cancer patients. The results of the study showed that there are numbers of negative outcomes post-treatment, including the decline of sexual function, lower bowel scores, and urinary incontinence.
How To Prevent Prostate Cancer?
While many of the risk factors for prostate cancer are beyond one’s control, a few measures can be done to lower your overall risk. According to the American Cancer Society, by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, and getting at least two and a half cups of fruits and vegetables, you can reduce your prostate cancer risk.
On the other hand, the Prostate Cancer Foundation suggests that in order for you to boost prostate cancer prevention, you should have several lifestyle interventions. Likewise, they also tout the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise. A diet that includes a good amount of cooked tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower can help. Taking too many supplements is not recommended. You should instead get your vitamins and minerals from a healthy diet of natural whole foods. It is also important to keep calcium intake well within the recommended daily allowance, and not going over it. Quit from unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking and smoking.
One’s chances against the disease could also be improved by seeking treatment for depression, avoiding diabetes, managing stress, maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and of course, drinking Italian-style coffee which may be the most delicious prostate cancer prevention method yet.
