A new study finds coffee is associated with improved survival rates in metastatic colorectal cancer. *
“News like this and better treatments for those diagnosed offer great benefit. But many men are simply unprepared for costs of medical care that is not covered by their health insurance,”
Jesse Slome, director of the American Association of Critical Illness Insurance
HEALTHY HABITS NEWS: Coffee and cancer news. September 18, 2020: Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report that for a large group of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, consumption of a few cups of coffee a day was associated with longer survival and a lower risk of the cancer worsening.
The study shows a connection between regular coffee consumption and improved outcomes in patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer. Findings were published in JAMA Oncology.
Out of over 1,100 patients treated for metastatic colorectal cancer, those who reported drinking two to three cups of coffee a day were likely to live longer overall. In addition, they had a longer time before their disease worsened. This compared to individuals who did not drink coffee. According to the report, study participants who drank more than four cups a day had an even greater benefit in these measures. The benefits held for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.
“It’s known that several compounds in coffee have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other properties that may be active against cancer,” says Dana-Farber’s Chen Yuan, ScD, the co-first author of the study with Christopher Mackintosh, MLA, of the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. “Epidemiological studies have found that higher coffee intake was associated with improved survival in patients with stage 3 colon cancer, but the relationship between coffee consumption and survival in patients with metastatic forms of the disease hasn’t been known.”
Healthy Habits News: Cancer updates for men
“Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is: about 1 in 23 (4.4%) for men and 1 in 25 (4.1%) for women.,” explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. “Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States”
“There is a real need for men and women to take steps to financially plan for this very real risk,” Slome notes. “News like this and better treatments for those diagnosed offer great benefit. But many working-age individuals are simply unprepared for costs of medical care that is not covered by their health insurance. Plus, many will need to take time off from work. A modest cancer insurance policy purchased in your 40s can cover those uncovered costs and replace lost income while one undergoes treatment and recovery time.”
* Source. Science Daily, September 17, 2020
Photo Credit: Arek Socha from Pixabay
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