Ann Oncol. 2014 Mar;25(3):584-591. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdt420. Epub 2019 Dec 4.
Coffee consumption and risk of nonaggressive, aggressive and fatal prostate cancer-a dose-response meta-analysis.
Discacciati A1, Orsini N2, Wolk A3.
Author information
1
Units of Nutritional Epidemiology; Unit of Biostatistics, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: andrea.discacciati@ki.se.
2
Units of Nutritional Epidemiology; Unit of Biostatistics, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
3
Units of Nutritional Epidemiology.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Existing epidemiological evidence is controversial regarding the possible associations between coffee consumption and risk of prostate cancer (PCa) by aggressiveness of the disease.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We conducted a random-effects dose-response meta-analysis to assess the relationships between coffee consumption and nonaggressive, aggressive and fatal PCa risk. Studies were identified by a search of Medline and Embase databases to 15 July 2013. We carried out separate analyses by grade (Gleason score: low-grade, high-grade) and stage (TNM staging system: localized, advanced) of the tumors. Nonaggressive tumors were defined as low-grade or localized, while aggressive tumors were defined as high-grade or advanced.
RESULTS:
Eight studies (three case-control and five cohort) were included in this meta-analysis. Gleason 7 tumors were classified as high-grade in one study, while in another study, Gleason 7(4 + 3) tumors were classified as high-grade and Gleason 7(3 + 4) as low-grade. In the remaining four studies, Gleason 7 tumors were excluded from the analyses or analyzed separately. The pooled relative risk (RR) for a consumption increment of 3 cups/day was 0.97 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-1.03] for low-grade PCa (n = 6), 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-0.99) for localized PCa (n = 6), 0.89 (95% CI 0.78-1.00) for high-grade PCa (n = 6), 0.95 (95% CI 0.85-1.06) for advanced PCa (n = 6) and 0.89 (95% CI 0.82-0.97) for fatal PCa (n = 4). No evidence of publication bias was observed. Heterogeneity was absent or marginal (I2 range = 0-26%), with the only exception of the analysis on advanced PCa, where moderate heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 60%). When restricting the analyses only to those studies that defined high-grade tumors as Gleason 8-10, the inverse association became slightly stronger [RR: 0.84 (95% CI 0.72-0.98); n = 4].
CONCLUSIONS:
Results from this dose-response meta-analysis suggest that coffee consumption may be inversely associated with the risk of fatal PCa. No clear evidence of an association with PCa incidence was observed.
Seems that PubMed has uploaded a bunch of "Annals of Oncology" papers going back as far as 2012. They appear as "new" in PubMed & I suppose that they are new to me. -P.
Acrylamides in coffee formed during the brewing process are associated with DNA mutations, so any benefit really depends on the type of coffee. For example, instant decaf coffee has about 5200 ug/kg of acrylamides, whereas drip coffee only has about 116 ug/kg.
As they relate to acrylamide:
The predominant DNA adduct induced by acrylamide, i.e. N7-GA-Gua, and one of its two minor adducts, i.e. 3-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-adenine, are both depurinating adducts, capable of generating apurinic/apyrimidinic (abasic) sites. The produced apurinic/apyrimidinic (abasic) sites are likely to give rise to 2′-deoxyadenosine incorporation during DNA replication, thereby leading to G → T transversions. Other minor adduct of acrylamide, i.e. N1-GA-Ade, has also significant miscoding potential, thus being highly promutagenic.
In other words, acrylamide binds to DNA and interferes with the normal replication processes by introducing mutations.
Yes, roasting under high temps > 120C form acrylamides, brewing of course releases them. No difference in bean type, Arabica vs Robusta. Darker beans interestingly have less. Instant coffee has almost double that of brewed. Drip coffee is the best as the filter removes most of the acrylamides.
The highest mean acrylamide concentrations were found in coffee substitutes (818 pg/kg) followed by instant coffee (358 microg/kg) and then roasted coffee (179 microg/kg). One single cup of coffee (160 ml) delivered on average from 0.45 microg acrylamide in roasted coffee to 3.21 microg in coffee substitutes. There were no significant differences in acrylamide level between the coffee species ie. Arabica vs Robusta or a mixture thereof. The various methods of coffee manufacture also showed no differences in acrylamide (ie. freeze-dried coffee vs agglomerated coffee). A significant negative correlation was observed between acrylamide levels and the intensity of colour in roasted coffee; this was not the case however for instant coffee.
"The major food sources of acrylamide are French fries and potato chips; crackers, bread, and cookies; breakfast cereals; canned black olives; prune juice; and coffee. Acrylamide levels in food vary widely depending on the manufacturer, the cooking time, and the method and temperature of the cooking process"
"... a large number of epidemiologic studies (both case-control and cohort studies) in humans have found no consistent evidence that dietary acrylamide exposure is associated with the risk of any type of cancer ..."
From th "Health Professionals' Follow-up Study" [2]:
"Acrylamide has been designated by IARC as a "probable human carcinogen." High levels are formed during cooking of many commonly consumed foods including French fries, potato chips, breakfast cereal and coffee. Two prospective cohort studies and two case-control studies in Europe found no association between acrylamide intake and prostate cancer. We examined this association in a large prospective cohort of 47,896 US men in the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study, using updated dietary acrylamide intake from food frequency questionnaires in 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. From 1986 through 2006, we documented 5025 cases of prostate cancer, and 642 lethal cancers. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between acrylamide intake from diet and prostate cancer risk overall as well as risk of advanced or lethal cancer. Acrylamide intake ranged from a mean of 10.5 mcg/day in the lowest quintile to 40.1 mcg/day in the highest quintile; coffee and potato products were largest contributors to intake. The multivariate-adjusted relative risk of prostate cancer was 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 0.92-1.13) for the highest versus lowest quintile of acrylamide intake (p-value for trend = 0.90). Results were similar when restricted to never smokers and to men who had prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. There was no significant association for dietary acrylamide and risk of lethal, advanced or high-grade disease, or for different latency periods ranging from 0-4 years to 12-16 years. We found no evidence that acrylamide intake, within the range of US diets, is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer."
From a large Dutch study [3]:
"The Role of Genetic Variants in the Association Between Dietary Acrylamide and Advanced Prostate Cancer in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer"
"After 20.3 years of follow-up, 1,608 male subcohort members and 948 advanced prostate cancer cases were available for Cox analysis. Three SNPs showed a main association with advanced prostate cancer risk after multiple testing correction: catalase (CAT) rs511895, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) rs5275, and xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) rs2228001. With respect to acrylamide-gene interactions, only rs1800566 in NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) and rs2301241 in thioredoxin (TXN) showed a nominally statistically significant multiplicative interaction with acrylamide intake for advanced prostate cancer risk. After multiple testing corrections, none were statistically significant. In conclusion, no clear evidence was found for interaction between acrylamide intake and selected genetic variants for advanced prostate cancer risk."
From the same article you posted: "Given the amount of acrylamide we normally consume (~1µg per kg of body weight per day, or ~62µg/day on average), it seems generally unwarranted to post warning labels on coffee that has only ~0.45µg–3.21µg per cup. That being said, Prop 65 is the rule of law in California, so you can’t blame a judge that learns a cup of coffee can have a few micrograms of acrylamide in it when the rule of law says products need a warning label at >0.2 micrograms."
My guess is that for cancer the Polyphenols in coffee outweigh acrylamides for cancer, although I'll try to avoid decaf from now on.
Here's a list of good and bad for acrylamide exposure....
25 coffee brands with lowest acrylamide
To be clear, this is not an all-inclusive list. These are only the lowest brands within those which were tested by the FDA and they haven’t added to their data set for over a decade (10). Some niche brands are included, but obviously it wouldn’t be feasible for them to test the thousands of different roasters throughout the country.
Still, it provides helpful clues as to how much (or how little) you are getting from your morning brew. To keep comparisons consistent, the three following lists are excluding decaf and are only looking at the caffeinated versions.
25 Low Acrylamide Coffees (Dry Powder Before Brewing)
17.Starbucks Columbia Ground163-175 (multiple samples tested)
18.Folgers French Roast163-319
19.Cafe Oquendo 100% Pure Coffee168
20.Maxwell House Original Signature170-250
21.Caribou Coffee Rainforest Blend180
22.Maxwell House French Roast184-235 (multiple samples tested)
23.Super G Instant Coffee188
24.Chock full o’Nuts All-Method Grind197
25.Cafe Regil Rige Y Regira 100% Coffee203
To reiterate, those measurements are for non-brewed coffees.
You may be surprised how some of the cheapest, most lowbrow brands actually make up many of the best ranked.
What’s interesting to note is how the most inconsistency is seen with the medium or semi-dark roasts. Remember, since the Maillard reaction creates acrylamide early on, we would expect to see that, since it’s closer to the half-way point of the process (versus dark roasts).
Lighter roasts tend to have more since they’re earlier on in the process, but they’re more consistent in their ranges.
10 brands with highest acrylamide
Using the same source, which brands tested out the worst? Here are the ten with the highest amounts measured.
10 Highest Acrylamide Coffees (Dry Powder, Before Brewing)
RankBrand/ProductAmount (parts per billion)
1.French Market Restaurant Blend Coffee and Chicory609
2.Nescafe Classic Instant Coffee471
3.Community Coffee & Chicory New Orleans Blend459
4.Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee458
5.Taster’s Choice Gourmet Roast Instant Coffee411
6.Luzianne Coffee & Chicory (ground, not brewed)380
As you see, 5 out of 10 on this list are the instant form. Given how it’s made, that is not surprising. Two of the most common ways to make it are:
Using liquid coffee and spraying it through very hot and dry air. Those two factors – concentrated high heat in conjunction with drying – are known to increase acrylamide formation. That’s why toast measures exponentially higher than bread.
Freeze drying, which leaves behind the powder.
instant coffee powderSince both of these processes can negatively affect the coffee flavor we are so accustomed to, sometimes a manufacturer will infuse the powder with aromatic compounds. Those might entail polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which can provide a smoky or burnt flavor (11). Similar to acrylamide, PAHs are yet another form of advanced glycation end products.
Being that it seems to have a different texture and taste, we would very much like to see a scientific review of Starbucks Via instant coffee. They obviously are using a more novel manufacturing method and perhaps, that results in lower amounts?
How much acrylamide there is in Folgers instant coffee and many other brands is comparable to traditional coffee after it is brewed. Why? Because the instant is more concentrated and hence, less is typically needed per cup. That makes the dosage per brewed cup very similar in many cases.
Acrylamide content after brewing
You can’t call this a list of the 15 lowest, because the FDA data set only had 15 entries for brewed, non-decaf coffee. So essentially, this is all of them.
While you do see one entry with the word espresso, please note they are not talking about an espresso shot or Americano. Rather, the above is for espresso bean grind (or espresso inspired) which are brewed like regular drip coffee.
The Starbucks Columbia is 163 ppb when it’s not brewed and after you make it, the concentration becomes 7 ppb. That’s almost a 96% reduction. Folgers, Maxwell House, and even generics like Safeway follow similar trends.
It’s not that there’s less after brewing, but that it’s diluted and represents a better picture of how much you are consuming relative to other foods.
The differences between say a 7-Eleven at 6 ppb and a Folgers medium roast at 13 are not worth caring about. Why? Because you have much bigger sources to worry about in your diet.
deep frying friesHere are 10 random food samples with higher amounts for comparison…
36 ppb for un-toasted Pepperidge Farm white bread
216 for toasted Pepperidge Farm white bread
266 for Cheerios
497 for McDonald’s French fries (the highest tested out of 7 locations)
768 for Burger King hash browns
1,265 for Kettle potato chips, lightly salted variety
1,540 for Health Valley oat bran graham crackers
1,970 for Trader Joe’s veggie chips potato snacks
2,510 for Pringles BBQ flavor
4,080 for Blue Mesa Grill sweet potato chips
As you can see, brewed American drip coffee should be among the least of your concerns.
Think about it… even if you only ate potato chips or fries once per month, that single serving might be more acrylamide than all of the coffee you drank during the prior 30 days!
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