Although it makes it harder to fall asleep, its fans can sleep well – one or two cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of developing colorectal cancer by as much as twenty-six percent.
The researchers studied five thousand patients from the United States and Israel who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and four thousand and four thousand healthy people. The patients also completed questionnaires regarding the amount and type of coffee consumed. Information was also collected on family history of bowel cancer, diet, other beverages consumed, exercise and smoking.
After comparing the data and adjusting for known risk factors, it found that even moderate coffee consumption (1-2 servings a day) was associated with a XNUMX percent reduction in colorectal cancer risk. With more frequent consumption of coffee, the risk decreased even more.
Interestingly, risk reduction was associated with consuming all types of coffee, including decaffeinated coffee. – We were surprised that it is not the caffeine itself that matters. Coffee contains many ingredients that contribute to the health of the colon, which may explain its protective effect, says study author Dr Stephen Gruber.
Not only caffeine, but also polyphenols contained in coffee have an antioxidant effect and limit the development of cancer cells. Likewise, melanoidins, polymers formed during the roasting of coffee beans, and diterpenes, which can protect against oxidative stress, are also of importance.
– The concentration of beneficial substances may vary depending on the type of grain, roasting process or brewing method. The good news, however, is that regardless of the type, coffee has a positive effect on reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, emphasizes Dr. Gruber.
Assuming that neither the coffee nor the genome of the intestines of the inhabitants of the USA and Israel differ significantly from what we Europeans have, we can celebrate the beginning of the weekend with a cup of espresso without remorse.
Every now and then you try to put coffee in one bag of cigarettes and alcohol. And yet the stimulant is unequal to the stimulant. And it seems that the word “stimulant” at least in the case of coffee loses its pejorative meaning.
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