The Positive Effects Of Coffee
Milan Geybels, a previous student at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author of the study, says the results of this study differ from those of other studies looking at the same link, as the researchers used a composite definition of prostate cancer recurrence/progression. He adds:
We used detailed information on follow-up prostate-specific antigen levels, use of secondary treatment for prostate cancer and data from scans and biopsies to assess the occurrence of metastases and cause-specific mortality during follow up.
Using these detailed data, we could determine whether a patient had evidence of prostate cancer recurrence or progression.
Additionally, the study also revealed that biological activities that are therefore linked to the consumption of phytochemical compounds that are found in coffee could practically exhibit both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
These are the main characteristic derived from the consumption of coffee that is very helpful to prostate health.
The researchers also mentioned that the phytochemical compounds present include the following functions in the body. The naturally-occurring compounds are discussed below:
- Caffeine, which can inhibit cell growth and encourage apoptosis.
- Diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, which can inhibit cancer growth.
- Chlorogenic acid, which can inhibit DNA methylation.
Coffee Consumption And Bladder Kidney And Prostate Cancers
Coffee and bladder cancer
Early, limited research had suggested a potential association between coffee and bladder cancer. However, more recent studies have provided sufficient evidence for IARC to conclude that there is inadequate evidence of such an association, highlighting that smoking may have confounded results in some earlier studies1.
Coffee and kidney cancer
Research consistently suggests there is no conclusive link between coffee consumption and kidney cancer.
- During the last three decades, the incidence of kidney cancer has constantly increased, leading to the search for possible links with diet. The etiology of kidney cancer suggests an increased risk with smoking and being overweight68.
- The World Cancer Research Fund identified 18 case-control and 5 cohort studies indicating the lack of a link between coffee consumption and kidney cancer19.
- A few additional studies reviewed, including a synthesis of 13 prospective studies including 530,469 women, 244,483 men and 1,478 cases of kidney cancer, did not find an association between coffee consumption and kidney cancer 68,69, and a 2014 meta-analysis also found no association63.
- The WCRF 2015 Kidney Cancer Report lists coffee under Limited Evidence No Conclusion70.
- In 2016, IARC concluded that there is inadequate evidence to suggest any association between coffee consumption and kidney cancer1.
Coffee and prostate cancer
Are There Any Other Beverages Or Foods I Should Steer Clear Of Or Add To My Diet
Any other diuretics can stimulate the tissues of an already overactive bladder, including coffee and tea. While increasing fluid intake can help against lower UTI’s as it flushes the system out, it’s important to strike a balance where it doesn’t increase your urinary frequency too much when you’re already suffering from BPH.
Green tea has been shown to have benefits that protects against BPH due to its anti-inflammatory properties. In a blend with black tea, it was shown to increase the flow rate of urine, improve one’s sexual function and quality of life.
High-protein diets sourced mainly from animal proteins can also increase your risk of developing an enlarged prostate, so considering plant-based proteins may reduce your risk. Foods worth considering include those rich in lycopene, such as tomatoes, an antioxidant that helps with prostate health due to the high concentration of this substance in prostate tissues. Studies have shown it has the ability to slow the progression of BPH and improve symptoms as per the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire. A prospective cohort study demonstrated that those who consumed more tomato products, including sauce, experienced a 23% reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.
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Tips For Cutting Back On Caffeine
Kicking caffeine to the curb may help your BPH symptoms, but doing so can be challenging. Caffeine is a stimulant, and its often addictive. Learn more about the effects of caffeine on the body.
- difficulty concentrating
- flu-like symptoms
Here are some tips to help lessen your caffeine intake and reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms:
- Keep a journal. Knowing how much caffeine you have each day, including caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, medications, and foods, can help you cut back. You may be having more than you realize.
- Dont quit cold turkey. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to be more severe. Instead, gradually reduce your caffeine intake. For example, if you have two cups of coffee each morning, have one instead or make yourself a cup that is half decaf and half regular coffee.
- Brew for less. You can easily reduce the amount of caffeine in your morning cup of coffee by simply brewing it for less time.
- Cut the caffeine. Try herbal or decaf teas instead of regular tea.
- Get enough rest. If youre overly tired, you may be more tempted to turn to caffeine for a quick pick-me-up.
- Take a walk. If you feel tired during the day, try walking for 5 to 10 minutes. This may give you a boost of energy and help you avoid that extra cup of coffee.
Treatment for BPH varies. You may not need treatment, or you may need medication or surgery. In addition to limiting caffeine, you may benefit from these lifestyle habits:
How Does Coffee Help
We arenât exactly sure why this popular drink seems to lower chances of certain types of prostate cancer. We do know that coffee has hundreds of active ingredients that can help your health. For example, it’s rich in antioxidants like flavonoids and polyphenols. Some of these compounds may prevent damage to your cells and ease inflammation.
Scientists did identify two possible contenders for coffeeâs cancer-fighting abilities: kahweol acetate and cafestol. These compounds slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells in a recent study.
This may explain why men who drink boiled coffee have lower odds of prostate cancer compared to men who drink filtered coffee. Paper filters trap kahweal acetate and cafestol. Since boiled coffee doesn’t need a filter, the compounds stay in your cup.
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Sugar And Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar has not been proven to be a direct cause of cancer of the prostate or otherwise. But there are very solid arguments for leaving it out of your diet.
The link between excessive consumption of sugar and the onset of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes has long been established, and the health problems that these conditions cause can be ruinous for the individual involved.
Additionally, in 2009, the Huntsman Cancer Institute released findings that illustrated how cancerous tumor cells use sugar in much greater quantities than normal cells.
The findings seemed to confirm that extra sugar and sweeteners were best left alone for the maintenance of robust health.
How Does Caffeine Affect The Prostate
Caffeine affects those who are already having an issue with benign prostatic hyperplasia since it can make the kidney produce more urine.
As caffeine is a natural diuretic, it can :
- Overstimulate the Overactive Bladder
- Increase the urgency to urinate more frequently
- Increase the frequency of urination
- Affect your hydration status
- Deplete calcium in your body and result in an increase in excretion
Coffee, as a result, may act as a bladder irritant and be a bad choice for men having urinary issues. However, the consumption of coffee is bad only if youre ingesting beyond your tolerance level and having other caffeine-containing stuff as well.
The effects on the body due to caffeines diuretic properties will get back to normal once the stimulants level in your bloodstream decreases. But if youre on high doses of caffeine itll not only have control over your excretory system but also trigger unwanted health concerns such as:
- Seizure
- Insomnia
- Addiction
This is why the consumption of coffee should be checked and I personally feel 50-100 milligrams of caffeine is enough for the desired boost of the human body.
Simply put, if youre a healthy individual limit your intake to 1-2 cups of coffee per day. You wont be having any adverse side effects and this wont affect your prostate health as well.
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How Can Coffee Affect An Enlarged Prostate
The stimulant caffeine in coffee affects an enlarged prostate by increasing the rate of urination, causing the person to pee more than usual. It may also have an impact on the bladder sensation and contraction.
Stimulants are responsible for triggering certain changes in the regular functioning of the body system. Large doses of caffeine, for this reason, may result in affecting the muscles in the neck of the bladder. This will make a person urinate more.
Moreover, caffeine is a natural diuretic. This is why you get the sensation to pee more after having coffee. Even if the caffeine content doesnt affect the prostate directly, if a person is already having issues with an enlarged prostate, the stimulant may irritate the organ.
The diuretic effect of the caffeine will also produce the rate of urination and youll get frequent urgency to urinate if you have BPH.
This study on the Effect of caffeine on bladder function in patients with overactive bladder symptoms showed that caffeine can promote early urgency to urinate and the symptoms are more prevalent in the case of individuals with overactive bladder.
Its better to limit the consumption of caffeinated beverages to avoid any of these unwanted feelings if youre having an enlarged prostate.
What Should I Avoid Before A Psa Test
Can I work out before I take a PSA test?
While physical activity in general might help maintain a normal prostate, avoid heavy exercise directly before your PSA. Avoid exercise for a few days before your PSA test. Even bicycling, riding motorcycles or ATVs, or riding horses have been shown to elevate PSA slightly for a short period of time..
Can I have sex before I take a PSA test?
No. You should abstain from sexual activity – anything that includes ejaculation – for at least 48 hours before the test. A recent ejaculation might cause a slight rise in PSA levels.
What about supplements and medications?
The following supplements or medications may have an affect on your PSA levels and should be discussed with your doctor. They may raise or lower your PSA and might not create a reliable test result:
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Carninte, fenugreek, pomegranate, saw palmetto, the herb PC-SPES, lycopene, and phytoestrogens.
Can alcohol or coffee consumption skew results?
Alcohol and caffeinated drinks are not established risk factors for prostate cancer and will not affect PSA levels. However, it is understood that heavy alcohol drinking could cause a small risk of more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The bottom line here is that alcohol, caffeine and smoking do not cause false-positive elevations of PSA levels.
I have a urinary infection, is that a problem?
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Connection Between Ejaculation And Prostate Cancer
The amount of ejaculations included those from sexual intercourse, masturbation and nocturnal emissions . The one study found that men who ejaculated 21 or more time a month had a 33% decreased chance of developing prostate cancer compared to those who ejaculated 4-7 times a month. The second study showed that men who averaged 4-7 ejaculations a week showed a 36% decreased chance of developing prostate cancer, before the age of 70, as compared to men who ejaculated less than 2-3 times a week.
It’s not known how this increased rate of ejaculation leads to a decreased risk of prostate cancer. The theory behind it is that ejaculation expels potentially harmful or irritating substances from the prostate, thereby decreasing the chances of the occurrence of a malignancy.
Overactive Bladder: Foods To Avoid
Certain drinks and foods are also important when it comes to overactive bladder. Some patients that come in to be seen are not aware that their second cup of coffee for the day could be irritating the lining of their bladder. Coffee could be worsening the symptoms of urinary frequency and urgency.
Bladder irritants can include:
- caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and soda
- carbonated beverages, such as soda and seltzer water
- citrus fruits and fruit juices
- dairy and
- spicy foods.
If you are experiencing overactive bladder, we recommend cutting back on things like caffeine, carbonated beverages, and the other items listed. You can also try an elimination diet. This involves cutting out all irritants, and slowly introducing them back into your diet one at a time to see which ones bother you the most.
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Checking For Health Benefits Of Coffee
Mucci and her colleagues tracked more 47,911 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The men reported their intake of coffee, both regular and decaf, in 1986, and every four years after that.
From 1986 to 2006, 5,035 men developed prostate cancer. This included 642 with lethal forms of the cancer. Lethal forms were either fatal or were cancers that spread.
The researchers evaluated whether there was a coffee and prostate cancer link. They found it held after accounting for such factors as obesity and smoking.
“We’re not exactly sure what the mechanism is,” Mucci says. It could be the antioxidants in coffee.
Or it could be substances that reduce inflammation, which has also been linked with higher prostate cancer risk.
It might be compounds that help regulate insulin, she tells WebMD. Higher insulin levels have been linked to higher risk of prostate cancer, she says.
“I think it’s probably too early to tell men to start drinking coffee to lower their risks of lethal prostate cancer,” she tells WebMD.
However, she adds, it’s probably good news for men who already enjoy a cup or more.
Less Recurrence Or Progression Of Prostate Cancer
The analysis showed that of these participants, 61% consumed at least one cup of coffee a day, while 12% drank four or more cups of coffee a day.
The men who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had 59% less risk of prostate cancer recurrence and/or progression than those whose coffee consumption was just one cup a week or less.
Additionally, the researchers analyzed the link between coffee consumption and prostate cancer-specific death in 894 patients included in the original food frequency questionnaire.
Results showed that 125 men had died after the median follow-up period of 8.5 years. Of these, 38 had died specifically from prostate cancer, but daily coffee consumption was not associated with these deaths.
There was no link found between coffee consumption and reduced mortality from prostate cancer, the researchers add, although they note this study did not include enough men who died from the disease to address that as a separate issue.
Milan Geybels, a previous student at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author of the study, says the results of this study differ from those of other studies looking at the same link, as the researchers used a composite definition of prostate cancer recurrence/progression. He adds:
The researchers say that these naturally occurring compounds include:
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How To Get A Green Tea Fix
Though most people would simply dunk green tea leaves into hot water and drink, not everybody enjoys the taste of green tea and so drinking three cups a day can be a bit of a struggle. To help you out weve come up with some ideas to sneak those precious leaves into your diet.
- Add a flavour you enjoy such as lemon or mint to your green tea
- Many tea companies such as Heath and Heathers have a variety of green teas that are infused with additional flavours to tickle your taste buds. You can explore this range over with our friends at Jan de Vries and if youre are looking for recommendations, Heath and Heathers Green Tea with Manuka Honey is a popular choice!
- Add some green tea into a smoothie and enjoy as a refreshing summers drink
- Incorporate green tea leaves into a marinade. The other marinade ingredients will overpower the flavour of green tea, but you will still benefit from the anti-oxidants
- Green tea is becoming a popular ingredient in cakes and puddings, and while over-indulging in sugary desserts is perhaps not the best piece of advice, if youre going to have a sweet treat, then one with green tea is a good option. You could poach fruits in green tea, particularly those high in vitamin C such as apples, for a great and tasty dessert that will improve prostate health.
High Coffee Intake May Help Against Prostate Cancer
Consuming four or more cups of coffee a day could reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence and disease progression, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed 1,001 prostate cancer survivors from a population-based study, aged between 35 and 74 years of age. All survivors had been diagnosed with the disease between 2002 and 2005.
The participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire two years before their prostate cancer diagnosis, and were required to give information regarding their diet and beverage consumption.
The participants were also interviewed about their:
- Demographic and lifestyle information
- Medication use
- Prostate cancer screening history.
The researchers ran a follow-up analysis five years after the participants first diagnosis to find out whether the prostate cancer had recurred and/or progressed. Of the original 1,001 participants, 630 then answered questions about their coffee intake and were included in the final results.
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