Given the volume of coffee that is drunk worldwide, there have understandably been a series of medical research projects to work out how the caffeine elixir affects our bodies.

Periodically, we keep you appraised of the latest findings.

And of late, the effects of coffee on prostate cancer have been in the news.

What is the story?

Thanks to some research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, it seems that men who drink over four cups of joe each day, reduce their chances of prostate cancer progression and also the recurrence of the disease.

What is the reduction in risk?

The results of the study suggested 59% reduced risk, when compared with those men who consumed only one cup of coffee per week or less.

There were, of course, limitations and qualifications to the study.

One noted observation is that there was no apparent link between the consumption of caffeine and reduced mortality from the cancer.

Similarly, there were no findings that tea consumption had equivalent effects on prostate cancer.

It has been suggested that future studies into the relationship between coffee and prostate cancer should address these and other follow up questions.

However, for the time being, the results are encouraging, aren’t they?