Coffee May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk

A recent study suggests that drinking coffee may reduce the risk for colon cancer.

Coffee is a popular source of caffeine. However, it also contains many other components that are believed to have health benefits, such as lowering blood sugar levels. These components include chlorogenic acid, quinides, lignans and trigonelline.

Studies suggest that caffeinated coffee consumption may increase blood pressure and potentially increase the risk of heart disease. However, these results were not found to be true of decaffeinated coffee, and some trials found that chlorogenic acid may actually lower blood pressure.

In a new study, researchers analyzed data on 489,706 individuals from the NIH AARP Diet and Health Study to assess the potential relationship between coffee and tea consumption and colon and rectal cancer. Data on diet and lifestyle were collected through questionnaires. Over an average of 10.5 years, 1,993 distal colon cancers, 2,863 proximal colon cancers and 1,874 rectal cancers were identified.

The researchers found that when compared to individuals who drank no coffee at all, those who consumed four to five cups daily and those who consumed over six cups daily had a 15 and 26 percent reduced risk of colon cancer, respectively. A significant association with tea consumption was lacking.

The authors concluded that drinking coffee may reduce the risk for colon cancer. Additional research is warranted.

For more information about coffee, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

Comments

[nb]

This study is somewhat scary, to think that the individuals drank 5-6 cups of coffee for the duration of the study. There is new research claiming that overconsumption of coffee, which was defined as more than 3 cups a day, was linked to increased incidence of glaucoma and vision loss. There was another study that showed more than 3 cups of coffee a day decreased the risk of common skin cancer by 17%. All this information is very confusing, and I'm just going to stick to having 1-2 cups a day. Everything in moderation would not be harmful, in my opinion.

[nh]

As an avid coffee drinker I love seeing any result that shows coffee can have beneficial health outcomes. I think it’s interesting that only a few years ago coffee was suspected to be bad for you and now it seems like every few months there is study showing positive health outcomes from coffee. Hopefully, there will be more studies like this in the future. I will continue to drink coffee but there is still a lot of information that needs to be shown before I will be completely convinced of all the health benefits coffee is said to have.

[tw]

It is great to see yet another benefit of coffee come to light. I am also curious to see what benefits decaffinated coffee would have in regards to colon cancer risk. Like other people have noted, it seems like the decrease in colon cancer risk should be related to the laxative-like effects that caffeinated coffee can have. I am not a drinker of decaffinated coffee, so I can not attest to whether decaffinated coffee has the same laxative effects as regular coffee. This would be interesting to see for those patients that are trying to lower their caffeine intake due to blood pressure or other issues.

[My Lien]

Interesting - but the study found the reduced risk at for those drinking four or more cups of coffee a day! That is much more than the "daily cup." Drinking large amounts of coffee can also have negative effects, for example, agitation and dehydration (the abstract states the findings were similar for predominantly caffeinated coffee drinkers).

[ML]

Interesting study! Although, as much as I love coffee, it would be hard for me to argue that 6 cups of coffee per day is extremely good for my health (especially with all the extra cream and sugar I add). Perhaps the relationship is difficult to determine now? I think it would be interesting to see if there was a difference in outcome between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee drinkers. The study mainly presents results on coffee drinkers vs. non-coffee drinkers - not different types of coffee.

[mw]

It is great to see these results from such a large scale study. Coffee is very popular here in Seattle, and I'm sure coffee drinkers will enjoy hearing of these results. With no significant effects of tea on colon cancer, it does not seem to be the caffeine that is causing this benefit. I wonder how drinking 6 cups of caffeinated coffee per day affects the heart and blood pressure, and if these risks negate the decrease in colon cancer risk. Very interesting study on such a popular drink.

[NA]

Like chocolate, coffee seems to be frequently studied providing more evidence that reveals various benefits associated with its consumption. It is very positive to read that coffee may have another health benefit of lowering the risk of colon cancer. I thought it was interesting that tea may also be associated with this benefit. The studies noted that individuals drank 4-6 cups of coffee per day which seems like a lot of liquid to consume. Perhaps a capsule with similar amounts of caffeine would be good for those who are unable to consume that many cups of coffee a day, but would like to obtain its potential benefits.

[ss]

Yet another benefit of coffee, it seems like coffee has more benefits than harms. The key to coffee is moderation because excessive coffee drinking can cause all sorts of heart related problems, insomnia, and addiction. Moreover non coffee drinkers shouldn’t drink coffee just because they want to control their sugar levels and prevent themselves from having cancer.

[Dennis Hicks]

Coffee has many advantages,just it must be drank in limits to benefit from it.I take pleasure in learning about this topic.I am really happy to find this information on your blog.

[Robynholman]

I am curious if there is a difference here with caffeinated coffee compared to decaffeinated like there is with blood pressure studies. I would love to know what the risk reduction is for those who drink between 1-4 cups of coffee per day. My guess is that it lies somewhere between 0-15%. I can't wait to see what new information will be coming out about coffee over the next few years!

[ee]

This is a wonderful article and an additional reason why people should consume coffee. However, what exactly does coffee do to help reduce the risk of colon cancer, does it act like a laxative/stool stimulant which helps people void their bowels? I have this concern because, whenever I drink coffee (black with nothing cream or sugar added) on an empty stomach, I experience some bowel movements a few minutes later.
I however look forward to reading more about this claim.

[naan]

I'm sure coffee drinkers will like finding out about this health benefit. I know coffee acts as a laxative for some people. I'm wondering if that has any connection to the reduced risk of colon cancer. I know a lot of toxins can reside in the colon which can be bad for our health, so it seems like if coffee is helping keep people regular and voiding them of these toxins, that that would provide some sort of benefit. Very interesting. I'll make sure to continue my daily cup.