Coffee May Lower Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer

Coffee contains a number of beneficial compounds that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and regulate insulin, and previous studies have associated coffee with a lower risk of Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstone disease, and liver cancer or cirrhosis. Lorelei Mucci, from Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues examined the association between coffee consumption and the risk of prostate cancer, particularly the risk for aggressive prostate cancer among 47,911 U.S. men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who reported their coffee consumption every four years from 1986 to 2008. During the study period, 5,035 cases of prostate cancer were reported, including 642 fatal or metastatic cases. The researchers found that men who consumed the most coffee (six or more cups daily) had nearly a 20% lower risk of developing any form of prostate cancer.  Importantly, the inverse association with coffee was even stronger for aggressive prostate cancer. Men who drank the most coffee had a 60% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

Ginger Compound Affects Prostate Cancer

The ginger plant (Zingiber officinale) is most commonly harvested for its root (rhizome), which is a rich source of unique antioxidants such as gingerols, shogaols, and zingerones.  Prasanthi Karna, from Georgia State University (Georgia, USA), and colleagues prepared a ginger extract from whole ginger, and fed it to mice at a dose of 100 mg per kg of body weight.  The team observed that the extract inhibited the progression of prostate cancer grafts on the lab animals by 56%. Further analysis revealed that the ginger extract inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells while increasing prostate cancer cell death.  In tests involving human cells, the researchers observed that ginger interfered with the ability for prostate tumor cells to spread.  Noting that: “[ginger extract] did not exert any detectable toxicity,” the team submits that: “this is the first report to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of whole [ginger extract] for the management of prostate cancer.”