Koffie tegen kanker en hart- en vaatziektes*
Uit twee studies blijkt dat het regelmatig drinken van koffie goed is ter voorkoming van prostaatkanker en de kans op hart- en vaatziektes duidelijk verminderd. In de ene studie, een analyse van 21 studies blijkt dat vrouwen die tot 4 koppen koffie per dag drinken 18% minder kans hebben op ziekte van de hartvaten. Uit dezelfde analyse blijkt ook dat de kans op de ziekte van Alzheimer, Parkinson en diabetes hierdoor duidelijk verminderd. Uit een andere studie blijkt dat mannen die de meeste koffie per dag drinken wel 60% minder kans hebben op
prostaatkanker dan zij die weinig of geen koffie drinken.
New Data Shows That Coffee Consumption May Be Associated With A Lower Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease In Women
A meta-analysis of a number of cohorts studies published in the International Journal of Cardiology1 demonstrates that habitual coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.
Analysis of data from 21 cohort studies showed that moderate coffee consumption (of up to four cups of coffee per day) were associated with a 18% reduction in risk of CHD in women1. The investigators note that such an effect was unlikely to be caused by
chance.
These new findings are particularly important as:
· Coronary heart disease is the UK's biggest killer, with one in every six women dying from the disease2
· In women, cardiovascular disease (CVD), including CHD and stroke, accounts for more deaths across all ages than cancer, diabetes or respiratory disorders3
Dr Euan Paul, Executive Director of the British Coffee Association, commented, "A large number of studies have addressed coffee consumption and the risk of CHD, but have not provided definitive results. This study demonstrates that not only does coffee consumption not increase the long-term risk of CHD, but that moderate coffee consumption may actually reduce the risk of the disease in women. These data further demonstrate that moderate coffee consumption of four to five cups per day is safe and may even confer certain health benefits such as reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and, as shown in this study, may even reduce risk of CHD in women. As advised by the Food Standards Agency guidelines, pregnant women should moderate their intake of caffeine to 200mg per day from all sources."
It is also worth noting that earlier in the year, data published in Circulation also suggested that coffee consumption may be associated with a 19% reduction in risk of stroke in women4.
References
1. Wu, J. Coffee consumption and risk of coronary heart diseases: A meta-analysis of 21 prospective cohort studies. International Journal of Cardiology 2009 137:216-225
2. Coronary Heart Disease, NHS Choices - http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx Accessed December 2009
3. Deaths caused by cause, sex, age, 2007, United Kingdom, British Heart Foundation http://www.heartstats.org/datapage.asp?id=713 Accessed December 2009
4. Lopez-Garcia, E., et al Circulation - Journal of the American Heart Association, 2009 (available online: http://circ.ahajournals.org)
Source
Journal of Cardiology
Coffee Consumption Associated With Reduced Risk Of Advanced Prostate Cancer
While it is too early for physicians to start advising their male patients to take up the habit of regular coffee drinking, data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference revealed a strong inverse association between coffee consumption and the risk of lethal and advanced prostate cancers.
"Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer," said Kathryn M. Wilson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public
Health.
In a prospective investigation, Wilson and colleagues found that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who did not drink any coffee. This is the first study of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate cancer and risk of localized, advanced and lethal
disease.
"Few studies have looked prospectively at this association, and none have looked at coffee and specific prostate cancer outcomes," said Wilson. "We specifically looked at different types of prostate cancer, such as advanced vs. localized cancers or high-grade vs. low-grade cancers."
Caffeine is actually not the key factor in this association, according to Wilson. The researchers are unsure which components of the beverage are most important, as coffee contains many biologically active compounds like antioxidants and minerals.
Using the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study, the researchers documented the regular and decaffeinated coffee intake of nearly 50,000 men every four years from 1986 to 2006; 4,975 of these men developed prostate cancer over that time. They also examined the cross-sectional association between coffee consumption and levels of circulating hormones in blood samples collected from a subset of men in the cohort.
"Very few lifestyle factors have been consistently associated with prostate cancer risk, especially with risk of aggressive disease, so it would be very exciting if this association is confirmed in other studies," said Wilson. "Our results do suggest there is no reason to stop drinking coffee out of any concern about prostate cancer."
This association might also help understand the biology of prostate cancer and possible chemoprevention
measures.
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 30,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and nearly 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 16,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.
Source: American Association for Cancer Research (Februari 2010)
