Prostate Cancer - The Benefits of Coffee

Coffee's Poor 'Press'For many years the news for coffee has predominantly been negative attributable to its caffeine content and it's effects.I well remember going for a medical some years ago and the doctor performing the examination took an ECG to re-discover a heart murmur I knew about. Once discovered the first question was - How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?Being in a desk bound occupation with coffee readily on hand the answer was about 8 or 10. Predictable reaction - cut down on the coffee intake and off to see a heart specialist.Recently however there have been a few good pieces of news about coffee and those that drink moderate to significant amounts of the beverage.Coffee Good NewsIn September 2010 an interesting article appeared in WebMD with the title 'Coffee and Your Health'. This article went on to say that there was a growing body of information showing that moderate coffee drinkers were less likely to succumb to a number of more common ailments and diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson's Disease and DementiaAs well a that there coffee drinkers have fewer instances of some types of cancers, heart rhythm problems and StrokeWhile this all sounds interesting and before you run off and increase your coffee consumption there is a down side. Results are not based on a rigorous scientific study - more on a questioning of peoples' coffee drinking habits. There is no scientifically proven result but the signs are good that coffee may offer some protection.The Prostate ConnectionBut where does the prostate come in? Well there was another article on WebMD May 2011 with the title 'Coffee May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk.'This article deals specifically with a finding that there is a 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer if you consume six or more cups of coffee per day when compared with those who drink none.And the protection was even higher for the most lethal form of prostate cancer even at a lower consumption. For those on one to three cups a day the risk reduced by 29%, and for those consuming six or more cups per day the risk reduced 60% compared with those who did not drink any coffee.And this is interesting - looks like caffeine is not the active agent. Whether it was a normal cup of coffee or a decaffeinated cup the results were the same. So either coffee option is valid.Researchers were unsure what the reason was for the cancer reduction benefit of coffee. Coffee is complex with many components not all of which have been isolated. So do not fire up the coffee maker to start drinking copious cups of coffee with impunity. However it adds to the enjoyment knowing that coffee is not as bad as perhaps commonly thought.Make Sure You Have Your Prostate CheckedAnd now for those of you who are wondering why my interest in coffee and prostate cancer here is the answer.First and foremost it is to encourage any male over 50 out there (younger if there is a family history) who is in two minds about having his prostate checked - to just do it. It may save your life!Suffer the minor indignity of a routine - that is all that it is. Get a blood test for your PSA, (prostate specific antigen) even though it is not totally definitive. Mine was never very high.Investigated the number of men who die from prostate cancer each year. In many places the number of men who die from prostate cancer each year equals the number of women who die of breast cancer. But the girls do a better job - just think how often you hear about breast cancer.Second I was diagnosed with BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or enlargement of the prostate a number or years ago. This gradually became such a problem I underwent a re-bore in colloquial terms.All seemed fine until the pathology told a different story a day later. Some prostate cancer had been detected in the removed material. Then it was watch and wait for some months before undergoing a multiple needle biopsy of the prostate.Again good news - it was all clear. A second biopsy 12 months told a different story - more cancer detected.What to do? It was obvious that at over 65 the prostate had to come out and this happened early 2011 via robotic surgery - very clever stuff. Check out the Da Vinci Robot.So where are we now? Life is not quite normal but the prognosis is excellent. You won't get prostate cancer now is the usual medical comment.The real enjoyable part - I still drink five to eight cups of coffee a day and love it. Maybe the coffee helped keep my prostate cancer in check maybe not - one will never know.So here is a challenge - make sure you get your prostate checked annually especially if you're in a critical age groups (over 50) - and keep enjoying your coffee.A good way to enjoy your coffee one cup at a time is with a Tassimo Coffee Maker. This unique single serve beverage machine is probably the best Coffee Maker that you can use to make your coffee one cup at a time. Just don't forget that annual checkup!