NEW YORK, June 8 (Reuters
Health) -- Whether they choose espresso, latte, brewed or instant, men who
drink four or more cups of coffee each day have a 45% lower risk of developing
gallstones, according to a report in the June 9th issue of The Journal of
the American Medical Association.
In the study of 46,008
men aged 40 to 75 with no history of gallstone disease, men who regularly
consumed coffee had a reduced risk of gallstone disease during 10 years of
follow-up compared with men who did not drink coffee on a regular basis.
Men who drank two to three
cups of regular coffee per day had a 40% reduced risk of developing gallstone
disease than non-Java drinkers, and those who drank four or more cups per
day had a 45% lower risk. No such effect was observed with consumption of
tea, decaffeinated coffee, or low-calorie caffeinated soft drinks, the investigators
report.
SOURCE:
The Journal of the American Medical Association 1999
Copyright © Reuters Limited 1999
In the past decade, research
in the United States, Japan and Italy indicates that consumption of coffee
has a strong protective effect against cirrhosis of the liver.
These studies show that
drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day was associated with an 80% reduction
in risk for cirrhosis of the liver, compared with those who don't drink coffee
at all. Cirrhosis is a chronic disease which damages the liver's tissue. Excessive
alcohol use is the leading cause of cirrhosis, which is the 9th leading cause
of death in the United States.
Coffee
may be effective in reducing
the risk of cancers of digestive tract
Coffee
has shown a protective effect against colon cancer in some studies. A
recent meta-analysis of 17 studies on coffee consumption and colorectal
cancer from 1960 to 1990 found the risk of colorectal cancer to be 24%
lower among those who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day, than among
those who rarely or never drink coffee.
The most
likely explanations for lower risk of colorectal cancer among heavy coffee
consumers are the enhanced colonic activity induced by coffee, and that
anti-mutagenic components in coffee and caffeine inhibit the cancer-causing
effect of various microorganisms.
Colorectal
cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United
States, with some 131,000 Americans diagnosed with cancers of the rectum
and colon on an annual basis. About 90% of the cancers occur in people
over age 50.
This
information has been reviewed
by Alan Leviton, M.D., an epidemiologist in Boston.
