Vol 2 No. 7: Coffee and colorectal cancer – When research meets real life
Brought to you by
Dear Thriver,
Did you know that some of our everyday habits may be linked to survival in colorectal cancer? Coffee is a great example. It’s part of daily life for so many of us—routine, familiar, comforting.
As the Colorectal Cancer Research Digest continues to grow, I’ve been thinking more intentionally about what I share here. From time to time, I’ll highlight studies that are practical, relevant, and ones I actually use to guide my own life after cancer—what I’m calling Research Meets Real Life.
So grab a cup—I hope this issue of The Digest on coffee and colorectal cancer gives you a little buzz—in more ways than one.
With gratitude,
In this issue, we talk about...
☕️ Coffee and CRC: A video on what your daily cup (or two) might mean for your survival
🍽️ The Digest: What the research says about coffee and colorectal cancer outcomes
🤔 Coffee in Real Life: What does this mean for me—and what could it mean for you?
📣 Reader Voice Survey: Help us shape the next year of the Digest
☕️ Coffee and CRC: A video on what your daily cup (or two) might mean for your survival
I’m still new to YouTube, and this might be my favourite video yet. In it, I share my personal connection to coffee alongside research on how it may relate to colorectal cancer— and how I make sense of that in my own life.
🍽️ The Digest: What the research says about coffee and colorectal cancer outcomes
This is a first where I digest not one but two research studies.
Year published: September 2020 (US) and January 2024 (Netherlands)
How the research was done: Two large studies followed people with colorectal cancer over time, tracking their coffee consumption alongside outcomes like survival and recurrence:
Study 1: In 1,171 people with advanced (metastatic) CRC
Study 2: In 1,719 people with stage I–III CRC
What they found: Across both studies, a similar pattern emerged.
In advanced (metastatic) colorectal cancer:
People who drank 2–3 cups of coffee per day had about a 20% lower risk of death
Those who drank 4 or more cups per day had about a 35% lower risk of death
Similar patterns were seen with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee
In earlier-stage (stage I–III) colorectal cancer:
People who drank 2–4 cups per day had about a 30–40% lower risk of death
Higher coffee intake was also linked with a lower risk of cancer recurrence
Similar patterns were seen with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee
🤔 Coffee in Real Life: What does this mean for me—and what could it mean for you?
The research I’ve shared show that drinking around 2–4 cups of coffee per day was associated with roughly a 20–40% lower risk of death and recurrence in CRC—but this is an association, not causation. Simply put, more coffee was linked to living longer and a lower risk of recurrence—but it doesn’t mean coffee caused these outcomes.
So this isn’t a recommendation to start drinking coffee if you don’t already. And it doesn’t replace treatment or medical advice.
I’m grateful for practical research like this that helps me better understand how everyday habits fit into life with and beyond cancer.
I hope you find this issue of the Digest helpful.
📣 Reader Voice Survey: Help us shape the next year of the Digest
Once a year, we ask the most important question we know: what do you actually need from us?
The survey opens July 30 at 8:00 AM and closes August 20 at 11:59 PM — about 5 – 7 minutes to complete.
Last year, you asked for more life-after-CRC content, video, and a steady cadence. We delivered all three. This year, tell us what's next.
Every completed response enters a draw for one of three $25 Starbucks gift cards OR a $25 donation to The Colorectal Cancer Outcomes Research Knowledge Translation Initiative Fund on your behalf. All 3 winners will be announced on August 27.
What thrivers ❤️ about the Digest
"THANK YOU so much for this letter! It came to me at the perfect moment and I read every word and followed every link. But I also really appreciated the summaries both in words and pictures..."
"...Thanks for this information as I have followed you for the past six years and still hope to."
Missed a past issue? No stress.
Every Digest we’ve published lives in one place, so you can catch up anytime — whether you joined yesterday or have been with us from day one.
That's it for today!
👋 Before you go, we'd love to know what you thought of today's newsletter to help us improve the Digest experience for you.
Hit reply to let us know. Was it too hard to follow? Too long, didn't read it all? Leave you with more questions? Let us know! We read every response.
Talk soon,
Mary, Alexander, and Joy — The Colorectal Cancer Research Digest editorial team
