Coffee linked to lower risk of prostate cancer

Drinking coffee could lower the risk of prostate cancer.

New research based on more than 550,000 men worldwide shows that the likelihood of developing the disease decreases by 2.5 per cent for every two additional cups of coffee consumed a day.

Researchers at the Tongji University Hospital in Shanghai analysed the results of 13 studies that had investigated this link and concluded that as well as facing an overall lower risk, coffee drinkers were 24 per cent less likely to die from the disease if diagnosed with it, reports the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

A number of compounds in coffee are thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, including cafestol and kahweol, which have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth.

Researchers in the U.S. have devised a 'veggie meter' to help people work out if they are eating enough fruit and veg.

It measures levels of carotenoids in the skin - these chemicals are found in highest levels in fruit and vegetables and carry many of the health benefits.

Measuring fruit and veg intake is typically based on self-reports or blood tests for these chemicals. The new fingertip device emits a laser light that 'detects' carotenoid levels in just 20 seconds - the amount of light that bounces off the carotenoids is measured to determine their levels.

It has been developed by researchers from the Paso del Norte Institute for Healthy Living in Texas, who say it should be commercially available within two years.

A mixture of light therapy and steroid cream may be the best way to treat vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that affects the pigment cells in the skin, causing white patches.

Around one in 200 people develops the unsightly problem.

In a trial at Nottingham University, 440 patients will receive daily light therapy, the steroid cream or both for nine months.

The two treatments are commonly prescribed to vitiligo patients, but little is known about how well they work together.

The trial is also testing a hand-held form of light therapy, which means patients can use it at home. Standard therapy requires a hospital visit.