Drink foamy coffee

Italian coffee reduced the risk of prostate cancer

Denis Strigun, Naked Science

Oncologists from Italy have shown that the consumption of Italian coffee drinks is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

The popularity of Italian coffee recipes, such as espresso and macchiato, arouses interest in their potential impact on health. It is known that coffee drinks can reduce the risk of certain diseases, including depression and suicide. In addition, caffeine belongs to phenolic compounds with possible antitumor effects, but so far the relationship between coffee consumption and malignant neoplasms has not been studied enough. Partly in 2014, this was confirmed by the International Center for Cancer Research (WCRFI), according to which the available scientific data do not allow us to unambiguously determine the role of coffee in the occurrence of prostate cancer.

In the new work, specialists from the Institute of Health of Italy, the University of Insubria and other institutions conducted a meta-analysis of interim research results within the framework of the Moli-sani project. The sample included 6989 men over 50 years of age living in the Molise region in the south-east of the country. In addition to sociodemographic parameters and anamnesis, the authors took into account the body mass index, frequency and volume of consumption of Italian coffee drinks and tobacco products – the category of non-smokers included people who smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. To find out the mechanism of action of caffeine, they also conducted an in vitro experiment on PC-3 and DU145 cancer cell lines.

Survival statistics of project participants depending on coffee consumption
(blue color corresponds to the minimum, green – the maximum value) 
©George Pounis et al., The International Journal of Cancer, 2017

During the experiment, scientists incubated tumor cells with caffeinated or decaffeinated water-based coffee extract, after which they studied their proliferation, migration and adhesion (adhesion). The biomaterial was treated with an extract of different concentrations (0.5, 1 or 2 millimoles) and for different periods – 24, 48 and 72 hours. According to the meta-analysis, 90.5 percent of all respondents consumed coffee. About a third of healthy Italians drank more than three cups, or 90 grams, of coffee a day, and the average value in their case was 163 ±110 grams versus 133±95 grams in patients. At the same time, high levels of caffeine reduced the risk of prostate cancer by 53 percent.

An experiment on cell lines showed that caffeine has a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cancer cells. In particular, incubation of samples with an extract concentration of 2 milliomol for 72 hours slowed cell growth by 72 percentage points and accelerated their death. Also, coffee, regardless of temperature, reduced cell adhesion by 40 percentage points and the ability to migrate by 41 percentage points (within 24 hours). According to the researchers, caffeine probably disrupts the DNA repair of tumor cells – this was expressed in the accumulation of a large number of cells in the initial growth phase (G1 phase) and the reduction of cells in the periods S and G2 interphase.

Details of the work are presented in The International Journal of Cancer.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  27.04.2017