A drink that protects against colorectal cancer and prevents its recurrence

According to the latest data from the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), more than half of the Spanish population consumes coffee daily, and this percentage is even higher when considering the decaffeinated version. Of these, a quarter (24%) drink coffee more than once a day. Of these, 44% drink one to two cups a day, 34% drink two or three, 16% drink three or four, and 5% drink more than four.

While there is compelling evidence about the benefits of consuming it for our health, it is also true that for every study that shows its benefits, there is another warning about the risks of overconsumption. Overall, there seems to be some consensus that The ideal daily dose is two cups per day, although in some cases more is recommended.

but no more than four. Beyond this, most studies show detrimental effects.

There are certain types of cancer for which drinking coffee is particularly beneficial, such as: Colorectal cancer. Now a new study conducted by Wageningen University (Netherlands) with 1719 patients with colorectal cancer showed thatNot only can this drink help prevent the development of this tumor, but drinking 3 to 5 cups per day can improve the prognosis of the disease after diagnosis, preventing recurrences.

Research published in the journal International Journal of Cancer, focused on studying whether coffee could also influence the progression or recurrence of the disease and therefore mortality among those affected. The scientists asked about the lifestyle of the participants, including the amount of coffee they consumed. Coffee consumption and other lifestyle characteristics were self-reported by patients using questionnaires at the time of diagnosis. They counted 257 relapses over an average of 6.2 years of follow-up and 309 deaths over 6.6 years of follow-up.

Moreover, they were able to verify that Consuming more than four cups of coffee per day, compared with consuming no more than 2 cups of coffee per day, was associated with a 32% lower risk of recurrence of this type of cancer.

That is, according to the results of the study, Patients who drink more than four cups per day are 32% less likely to relapse than those who drink even less than two cups per day.

Except, The death rate was lowest among those who drank three to five cups per day. The researchers note that although the association between coffee consumption and all-cause mortality in patients with colorectal cancer was not linear, it suggests that Drinking three to five cups a day is no more harmful than not drinking coffee.

Scientists also managed to unravel the reasons for such a positive effect of coffee consumption on colorectal carcinogenesis, which are associated with the chemopreventive properties of the heterogeneous components of this drink (each cup contains more than 1000 different chemicals, including caffeine, amino acids, sugars, volatile substances, minerals and vitamins). According to the study, these chemopreventive properties include: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties,

antiproliferative, proapoptotic (inducing apoptosis – a process of cell death programmed by the body itself for regeneration) and sensitizing to insulin. Additionally, during digestion, interactions occur between the gut microbiome and coffee components to produce additional bioactive metabolites with chemopreventive properties.

According to the authors, these results could potentially inform future intervention studies, as well as establish Dietary recommendations for patients with colorectal cancer.