Good news for men who like coffee: Men who have had prostate cancer and drink at least four cups of coffee a day appear to have a lower risk a cancer recurrence, at least according to research conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. A news release from the center reports that researchers surveyed 1,001 prostate cancer survivors, aged 35-74 years old at the time of diagnosis between 2002-2005, about their diet and beverage consumption two years prior to prostate cancer diagnosis. The researchers found that men who drank four or more cups of coffee per day had a 59 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer recurrence or progression as compared to those who drank only one or fewer cups per week. The less-than-good news? The researchers found no association between coffee drinking and reduced mortality from prostate cancer. Tea drinkers also have nothing to cheer: the research revealed no association between tea drinking prostate cancer recurrence. The results of the new study are consistent with findings from Harvard’s Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which found that men who drank six or more cups of coffee per day had a 60 percent decreased risk of metastatic/lethal prostate cancer as compared to coffee abstainers.
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