For people who suffer from colon cancer, regular drinking of coffee rich in caffeine could potentially lower their susceptibility to tumor recurrence as well as death from the illness, a new study says.

The researchers, however, said that it is premature to recommend colon cancer patients to drink coffee in order to prevent the return of the disease.

In a study featured in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts discovered that colon cancer patients who consumed four or more cups of caffeine-rich coffee daily were 52 percent less susceptible to a recurrence of the illness or death caused by cancer compared to those who abstain from drinking the beverage.

Colon cancer sufferers who drink two to three cups of coffee each day were also shown to benefit from the caffeinated beverage even to a moderate degree.

Director Charles Fuchs of the institute's Gastrointestinal Cancer Center said that there is enough evidence to prove that lifestyle and diet can have a significantly positive impact to people in terms of lowering the risk of developing cancer of the colon.

Fuchs said that the findings of the study show that caffeine-rich coffee appears to independently improve the health outcome of patients diagnosed with colon cancer.

It is worth noting, however, that the new research was designed to determine a possible connection between the consumption of coffee and a reduction in the risk of tumor recurrence and colon cancer-related death. It was not designed to establish a relationship of cause and effect.

To find out the impact of coffee consumption on cancer of the colon, Fuchs and his colleagues examined the data collected from close to 950 patients in stage III of their colon cancer. The participants were asked to answer nutrition questionnaires while going through their postsurgical chemotherapy between 1999 and 2001.

The researchers collected the dietary information of the participants again after six months when they have completed their chemotherapy treatment.

The questionnaires involved in the study featured items that pertain to over 130 various types of drinks and foods, including caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and tea variants that are non-herbal.

Fuchs and his team also followed the recurrence of cancer as well as the death of patients in relation to the disease for an average of over seven years.

Among the total number of colon cancer patients, around 329 of them showed a recurrence of the disease after five years from receiving treatment. Of these, 288 patients eventually succumbed to the illness.

The researchers also observed an additional 36 patients who did not experience a recurrence of their cancer died during the follow-up of the study.

The findings of the study showed that drinking two cups of caffeinated coffee daily was associated to a reduction of cancer recurrence and death caused by colon cancer. It also showed that those who drink three to four cups of coffee each day experienced greater protection compared to patients who were light to moderate drinkers.

These results remained consistent even after considering other food items that could influence the progression of the disease, such as carbohydrates and sugary beverages.

Photo: Berit Watkin | Flickr