It's out of sight -- but not out of mind -- if you're a man of a certain age. Your prostate gland makes its presence known as you get older, affecting your need to use the bathroom, and possibly posing a cancer risk. It you are a coffee drinker, that habit also could affect your prostate health. Whether it's a positive or negative factor may depend on the particular prostate problem you're facing.
Potential Problems
Your prostate gland surrounds part of your urethra, the tube that channels urine from the bladder. That's one reason prostate problems often involve urination problems, especially since the walnut-size gland enlarges as you grow older. Too-frequent or painful urination might be symptoms of an infection called prostatitis, usually treated with medication. And prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men.
Prostate Enlargement
According to the National Institutes of Health, your prostate might already be enlarged if you're older than 40, and almost certainly is if you're older than 80. Here's where coffee drinking might come into play, since caffeine can increase urination. An enlarged prostate may cause a strong, sudden urge to urinate and a need to urinate twice or more during the night. The NIH suggests that you avoid caffeine to ease these symptoms.
Prostate Cancer
On the other hand, your coffee habit might help protect you from prostate cancer. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that not only were coffee drinkers at lower risk for aggressive cancer, but regular and decaffeinated brews appeared to offer equal protection. The researchers noted that compounds in coffee work to reduce inflammation and regulate insulin, which might help protect against prostate cancer as well as some other diseases. The study was published in the online Journal of the National Cancer Institute on May 17, 2011.
Recommendations
The Harvard study found that drinking just one to three cups of coffee daily was linked with a 30 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer --- and men who drank more coffee lowered their risk even further. But talk to your doctor about whether you should change your coffee-drinking habits, and if you have concerns about your prostate. The American Cancer Society advises that while a healthy diet and some other measures might help reduce your risk of prostate cancer, more research is needed on its causes and prevention. And coffee with caffeine could worsen urination problems with benign prostate enlargement.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: Coffee May Reduce Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer in Men
- American Cancer Society: Can Prostate Cancer Be Prevented?
- National Institute on Aging: Prostate Problems
- National Institutes of Health Medline Plus: Enlarged Prostate
- American Cancer Society: How Many Men Get Prostate Cancer
