Coffee lowers risk of brain cancer by 34%

[dev553344]

Coffee, Tea Linked to Lower Brain Cancer Risk

From the article:

Oct. 22, 2010 -- Drinking about a half cup or more of coffee or tea per day is associated with a 34% reduction in the risk for glioma, a type of brain tumor, researchers report.

Researchers led by Dominique Michaud, DSc, an investigator at Brown University, and colleagues analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition longitudinal study, which includes more than 410,000 people from nine countries who were followed for about 8.5 years.

Participants answered questionnaires about their coffee and tea intake, as well as other dietary habits. Information about cancer diagnoses was obtained from national cancer registries and medical insurance records.

Overall, researchers found that drinking 100 mL or more of coffee or tea a day was linked to a reduced risk of glioma brain tumors. Men who were coffee and tea drinkers had a greater reduction in risk than women.

The study was not designed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between drinking coffee or tea and developing brain or spinal cord tumors; researchers only observed a connection. The researchers say more studies are needed to validate these observations.

 

[Lambano]

Ah ha! I knew drinking coffee was good!

 

[dev553344]

Ah ha! I knew drinking coffee was good!

I saw another study that said drinking coffee had no ill effects. But if you search webmd it cautions you about the use of coffee in high doses:

"Coffee containing caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side effects. Caffeinated coffee is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth for a long time or in high doses (more than 4 cups per day)."

But they are starting to link it to reductions in ailments:

The Health Benefits of Coffee "Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, melanoma, prostate cancer, even suicide."

 

[mailmandan]

I drink coffee in moderation because of acid reflux. Good information through. Thanks.

 

[dev553344]

I drink coffee in moderation because of acid reflux. Good information through. Thanks.

It used to cause that in me also. I drink two small cups twice a day. I was drinking it three times a day but I'm trying to cut back.

 

[Lambano]

I saw another study that said drinking coffee had no ill effects. But if you search webmd it cautions you about the use of coffee in high doses:

"Coffee containing caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side effects. Caffeinated coffee is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth for a long time or in high doses (more than 4 cups per day)."

But they are starting to link it to reductions in ailments:

The Health Benefits of Coffee "Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, melanoma, prostate cancer, even suicide."

I have to watch my caffeine intake (in all forms, including chocolate) because it can trigger my atrial fibrillation. It's under control with medication, and according to my smart watch*, I haven't had a paroxysm in about a year and a half. Three 8oz cups a day is my limit.

*The Apple Watch has a heartbeat variability reading that's the standard deviation of the individual beat-to-beat measurements. (Standard Deviation being a mathematical measurement of variability, for those of you who aren't scientists or engineers.) Some variability is normal, especially when you're sleeping. I know from the historical data that about 25 milliseconds is normal for me. If I see variability over about 100ms, I know to look at the individual beat-to-beat readings. If they're jumping around, it's a sign of an AFIB paroxysm and I need to talk to my doctor. If there's one or two readings that are half the average (say, 30 BPM when the other beats are running 60 BPM), it's symptomatic of a Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC) or Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), which I also have had, but my cardiologist tells me not to worry about it. (Though if your heart is skipping beats, it's hard not to worry about it.) And if there are gaps in the time stamps (at 60 BPM, there should be about one reading every second), that just means the heartbeat measurement process got interrupted by some other process and I ignore it. The point being (because I'm not qualified to give actual medical advice), if you have smart watch, talk to your doctor if you see the heartbeat variability reading is going wacko. My smart watch may have saved my life. AFIB can cause blood clots, and strokes really suck.

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[dev553344]

I have to watch my caffeine intake (in all forms, including chocolate) because it can trigger my atrial fibrillation. It's under control with medication, and according to my smart watch*, I haven't had a paroxysm in about a year and a half. Three 8oz cups a day is my limit.

*The Apple Watch has a heartbeat variability reading that's the standard deviation of the individual beat-to-beat measurements. (Standard Deviation being a mathematical measurement of variability, for those of you who aren't scientists or engineers.) Some variability is normal, especially when you're sleeping. I know from the historical data that 25 milliseconds is normal for me. If I see variability over about 100ms, I know to look at the individual beat-to-beat readings. If they're jumping around, it's a sign of an AFIB paroxysm and I need to talk to my doctor. If there's one or two readings that are half the average (say, 30 BPM when the other beats are running 60 BPM), it's symptomatic of a Premature Atrial Contraction (PAC) or Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), which I also have had, but my cardiologist tells me not to worry about it. And if there are gaps in the time stamps (at 60 BPM, there should be about one reading every second), that just means the heat beat measurement process got interrupted by some other process and I ignore it. My smart watch may have saved my life. AFIB can cause blood clots, and strokes really suck. The point being (because I'm not qualified to give actual medical advice), if you have smart watch, talk to your doctor if you see the heartbeat variability reading is going wacko.

I'll pray for you but it sounds like you have things understood. I had a heart monitor hooked up for two weeks but mine turned out OK so I'm good. But I don't like how much coffee I've been drinking so I'm cutting back, trying to get to just two cups in the morning. Stay safe!

 

[Lambano]

I'll pray for you but it sounds like you have things understood. I had a heart monitor hooked up for two weeks but mine turned out OK so I'm good. But I don't like how much coffee I've been drinking so I'm cutting back, trying to get to just two cups in the morning. Stay safe!

Good idea to keep it to two cups. I've had to do the heart monitor thing three times. That's no fun. At least the technology has gotten better and less obtrusive since my first one.

I appreciate the prayers. This is the second medication I've tried. I've been on it for over two years, and I've only had three lasting paroxysms since. Some MD website that specializes in AFIB said mild exercise can actually stop a paroxysm, so if I get one, I go for a short bike ride. That stopped the last two episodes, I'm happy to say. (Both my PCP and my cardiologist approved.) A bike ride is one of my favorite prescriptions.

 

[Lambano]

BTW, it's about 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon that I hit the slump and REALLY need that 3rd cup of coffee.

 

[dev553344]

BTW, it's about 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon that I hit the slump and REALLY need that 3rd cup of coffee.

Me too. I get up early so I've been drinking two cups every 6 hours or so. I get sleepy after about 6 hours after my coffee.

 

[farouk]

BTW, it's about 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon that I hit the slump and REALLY need that 3rd cup of coffee.

@Lambano

(I gave up coffee years ago...)

 

[farouk]

BTW, it's about 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon that I hit the slump and REALLY need that 3rd cup of coffee.

@Lambano Did you try tea? (Less caffeine...)

 

[Lambano]

@Lambano Did you try tea? (Less caffeine...)

I love getting Jasmine tea at Chinese restaurants (and some tea would go quite nicely with that kimchi and bibimbap in the other thread), but my wife only buys caffeine-free tea for home, so it's been a while since I've had any. Earl Grey is pretty good, and I like some of the Celestial Seasonings' Lemon and Hibiscus teas. But I'm so used to coffee, I don't know if I could function on just tea now.

My Taiwanese vendors knew I loved tea and used to bring cannisters of raw tea leaves as a business gift when they'd visit the States. You can get a tea infuser at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Heat a cup of hot water in the microwave and let the infuser seep for about 2 minutes. Any longer and the tea gets too strong. Fabulous. But when my coworkers would see a baggie full of dried leaves on my desk, they thought I was rolling a joint.

 

[farouk]

I love getting Jasmine tea at Chinese restaurants (and some tea would go quite nicely with that kimchi and bibimbap in the other thread), but my wife only buys caffeine-free tea for home, so it's been a while since I've had any. Earl Grey is pretty good, and I like some of the Celestial Seasonings' Lemon and Hibiscus teas. But I'm so used to coffee, I don't know if I could function on just tea now.

My Taiwanese vendors knew I loved tea and used to bring cannisters of raw tea leaves as a business gift when they'd visit the States. You can get a tea infuser at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Heat a cup of hot water in the microwave and let the infuser seep for about 2 minutes. Any longer and the tea gets too strong. Fabulous. But when my coworkers would see a baggie full of dried leaves on my desk, they thought I was rolling a joint.

@Lambano Perhaps neither you nor your wife are into marijuana.....

 

[Lambano]

@Lambano Perhaps neither you nor your wife are into marijuana.....

Tried it in college. Never again. Her father died of lung cancer; my mother of emphysema. Who thought that pulling smoke into your lungs was a good idea?

 

[farouk]

Tried it in college. Never again. Her father died of lung cancer; my mother of emphysema. Who thought that pulling smoke into your lungs was a good idea?

@Lambano You guys are wise, anyhow....

 

[Lambano]

@Lambano Perhaps neither you nor your wife are into marijuana.....

No thanks; I'm trying to cut back on doing stupid things.

Besides, if you saw the Hobbies thread, my wife and I like to go shooting together. Guns and drugs are a potentially lethal combination of “stupid”.

 

[Lambano]

Now here, hold my beer and watch this...

(Just kidding. That's another potentially lethal form of "stupid".)

 

[Lambano]

Don’t you hate it when you think of a great response 4 hours too late?

 

[Cooper]

It used to cause that in me also. I drink two small cups twice a day. I was drinking it three times a day but I'm trying to cut back.

I used to drink coffee all the time, pints of it daily, but I was becoming irritable and nervous so I gave it up and drink tea now and I am much calmer.

By the way, is that a Cockerpoo you have there?
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