Coffee Drinkers Less Likely to Have Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Analysis of data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study suggests that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop aggressive prostate tumors. Although almost 5,000 men in the cohort developed prostate cancer over two decades, a much smaller number had life-threatening tumors.
The men who drank six or more cups of coffee daily were 40 percent less likely to develop aggressive tumors. Decaf worked just as well as fully caffeinated coffee, so the caffeine is not the critical factor. Instead, the researchers believe, it has something to do with lower insulin levels. Coffee consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The investigators say men shouldn’t start drinking coffee because of this study, but if they like coffee, they may be getting an unexpected benefit.
[Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Houston, TX, Dec. 8, 2009]