Coffee is associated with better survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Christer Sundqvist

The almighty cup of coffee!

Coffee has been with us for a long time in cold mornings and dawns. The reasons are several: One of them is to increase our body temperature a bit, which generally does not happen, but it does warm our hands when we drink it from a jug, or when we feel the heat of the aromatic steam that reaches our face when taking it.

 

Also caffeine helps us wake up and be ready for the tasks of the new day. Of course, in the afternoons it is welcome as part of an early snack, alone or with cream or milk, but it is not advisable to take it at night, under penalty, of not being able to sleep due to the excitement caused by the much esteemed caffeine by the morning but unwanted at night.

 

Coffee more beneficial than harmful

We now have evidence that coffee is generally more beneficial than harmful. It has been shown to decrease and even prevent hepatic steatosis, it is a mild stimulant in alert brain function. It activates and maintains attention in workers who keep watch at night and for this reason alter their circadian day-night cycle (sleep-wake). Another effect is to help, along with a hypocaloric diet to lose weight; or at least to maintain a stable weight and not dangerous for health.

 

Coffee might be beneficial for cancer patients

There is statistical and epidemiological information, and some open clinical studies, that its content with antioxidant products has the effect of prolonging the survival of cancer patients! In a large group of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, drinking a few cups of coffee a day was associated with longer survival and a lower risk of the cancer getting worse, report researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other organizations in a new study. The findings, based on data from a large observational study nested in a clinical trial, are in line with previous studies showing a connection between regular coffee consumption and better outcomes in patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer. The study has been published September 17th in JAMA Oncology.

 

The researchers found that, in 1,171 patients treated for metastatic colorectal cancer, those who reported drinking two to three cups of coffee a day were more likely to live longer overall and had longer before their disease worsened than those who did not drink coffee at all. Participants who drank large amounts of coffee (more than four cups a day) had an even greater benefit on these measures. The benefits hold for both caffeinated and decaf coffee.

 

Source:

 

Mackintosh C, Yuan C, Ou F, et al. Association of Coffee Intake With Survival in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. JAMA Oncol. Published online September 17, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.3938 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2770262?guestAccessKey=6ce9a89a-6e2d-4caa-9fa6-5524831a61e1&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=091720

 

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