Just when it feels like everyone, including your doctor, is telling you to drink less coffee, science is here with some good news for those addicted to caffeine. A new study says that drinking three espressos per day can cut your risk of developing prostate cancer in half.
The study was done by the Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed in Italy, home of the espresso, according to the Daily Mail. Researchers there monitored 7,000 men in the Molise region for four years and took note of their coffee consumption. That data was compared with the occurrence of prostate cancer, and researchers found a 53 percent lower risk in those who drank at least three cups per day.
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To confirm caffeine’s effects on prostate cancer, as opposed to other substances in coffee, the researchers then tested the effects of coffee extracts on prostate cancer cells. After testing both decaffeinated and regular coffee, the team discovered that the caffeinated coffee significantly reduced the proliferation of cancer cells and their ability to metastasize.
But it’s important to remember where this study went down.
Licia Iacoviello, head of the Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Laboratory, said of the participants: “They prepare coffee [in a] rigorously Italian way: high pressure, very high water temperature, and with no filters. This method, different from those followed in other areas of the world, could lead to a higher concentration of bioactive substances. It will be very interesting, now, to explore this aspect.”
When it comes to coffee, drink like the Italians.
This article was originally publish on Menshealth.com
