Drinking this many cups of coffee a day may prevent this deadly cancer

Craving another cup of coffee? Well, indulge yourself because it may just save your life.

In a new study published in the JAMA Oncology journal, researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day can dramatically reduce one’s risk of dying of colon cancer. The findings primarily concerned anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties found in coffee.

Although this particular study applied this correlation to cancer survival rates specifically, independently conducted research has uncovered similar findings with respect to the development of many forms of cancer—including colon cancer.

“Several compounds found in coffee possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and insulin-sensitizing effects, which may contribute to anticancer activity. Epidemiological studies have identified associations between increased coffee consumption and decreased recurrence and mortality of colorectal cancer. The association between coffee consumption and survival in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer is unknown,” the authors wrote in the new paper.

How the researchers linked coffee and colon cancer

The authors recruited 1,171 patients who were previously enrolled in clinical trials.

Each participant was tasked with reporting dietary intake with the use of a questionnaire at the start of enrollment. Results were collected between October 27, 2005, and January 18, 2018.

Consistently, patients who drank more than 3 cups of coffee a day lived longer on average those who did not, in addition to evidencing decreased risk of cancer progression.

“In this cohort study of 1171 patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer, increased coffee consumption at the time of study enrollment was associated with lower risk of disease progression and death. Significant associations were noted for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee,” the authors continued.

Although more research needs to be conducted to determine the depth of coffee’s therapeutic impact on cancer pathology, a growing body of research appears to favor moderate caffeine consumption for otherwise healthy adults.

Alongside cancer prevention, routine coffee intake has been found to reduce one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke), type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. It all has to do with the chemical constituents found in coffee: caffeine, tannin, fixed oil, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Most health systems recommend that healthy adults consume no more than 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine (the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee) per day.

“Over the last several decades, coffee has been among the most heavily studied dietary components. And the news is mostly good. Moderate coffee consumption (three to four cups per day) has been linked with longer lifespan. In fact, a November 2015 study in Circulation found that coffee consumption was associated with an 8% to 15% reduction in the risk of death (with larger reductions among those with higher coffee consumption),” Harvard Medical School reports.

“It’s unusual that a food on the ‘cancer risk list’ comes off of it — and it’s even more unusual that such foods then become considered a healthy choice. But, as the millions of people drinking coffee every day will tell you: When it comes to coffee, there’s nothing like it.”