July's Research Round-Up: Gut, Coffee, and Cancer Prevention

We are starting a new monthly series on the latest evidence for nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental, and integrative medicine and how we can use it to optimise our health.

Here are 3 fascinating new studies and what they mean for your everyday choices.

1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Linked to Increased Risk of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (A Chronic Inflammatory Skin Condition)

Evidence of the Gut-Skin Axis Gets Stronger

A new study presented in 2024 involving more than 200,000 patients showed that people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis) are significantly more likely to develop hidradenitis suppurativa, a painful chronic inflammatory skin condition often misdiagnosed as acne or boils. Hidradenitis suppurativa may also indicate more severe disease activity in IBD.

What this means:

There’s mounting evidence that gut inflammation can drive systemic immune activation - showing up on your skin, not just in your belly. This reinforces the idea that improving gut barrier function, lowering dysbiosis, and modulating inflammation may be key in chronic skin conditions.

My coaching takeaway:

If you have recurring rashes, flares, or skin infections, gut healing is non-negotiable. You don’t need to have IBD to benefit from supporting your microbiome.

2. Have Your Morning Coffee – But Skip the Sugar

Coffee, Longevity, and Timing

In an analysis of more than 40,000 adults, morning coffee drinkers had a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality, and 31% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-specific mortality. However, this benefit was not observed among people who drank coffee throughout the day.

In another study of more than 150,000 people, coffee consumed without additives was associated with a 10% lower risk for type 2 diabetes. However, adding sugar to coffee reduced this protective effect. (The use of cream did not affect coffee’s protective benefits).

What this means:

Coffee can be a powerful polyphenol-rich antioxidant drink, but timing matters. Drinking coffee in the morning supports your body’s circadian rhythms and yields better anti-inflammatory benefits than drinking it throughout the day.

Practical tip:

Enjoy your unsweetened coffee in the morning, but avoid drinking it in the afternoon or evening to minimise disruptions your bedtime. If you’re working on blood sugar or sleep, we can optimize your routine in my 1:1 coaching.

3. Fibre & Blood Cancer: Two New Wins

Gut Health is Foundational

A study following more than 170 patients with blood cancers found that high-fibre diets improved outcomes, including better survival and reduced treatment side effects (graft-versus-host-disease). Researchers credit this to short-chain fatty acid production, especially butyrate, from gut bacteria fermenting fibre.

Another study following patients with diagnosis of myeloma precursors (precancerous state) showed that consuming plant-based, high-fibre diets for 12 weeks may help to delay disease progression to multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer affecting the bone marrow. The patients also had favourable changes in insulin sensitivity, faecal microbiome diversity, inflammation, reduction in weight, and improved quality of life.

What this means:

Fibre isn’t just for digestion. It feeds beneficial gut microbes, which then modulate immunity, inflammation, reducing cancer risk, and even cancer therapy response.

Practical tip:

Aim for 30g of fibre daily, from sources like oats, lentils, chia, flax, berries, and artichokes. Consider a diverse plant intake target (aim for 30+ types/week).

Final Thoughts

Functional medicine helps you make sense of how seemingly unrelated symptoms (like acne, bloating, and fatigue) often stem from the same root, and how working on gut health is non-negotiable.

Curious about how this research applies to you?

👉 Book a free discovery call or Join the waitlist for my Gut Reset Program.

Until next week,

Dr. Charis ✨

References:

1. Kumar P, et al. Investigating the Association Between Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Real-World Comparison Study of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The American Journal of Gastroenterology 119(12S):p S21, December 2024. DOI: 10.14309/01.ajg.0001096000.84662.b3

2. Wang X, et al. Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults. European Heart Journal 46(8): p749-59, Feb 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871

3. Henn M, et al. Coffee consumption, additive use, and risk of type 2 diabetes-results from 3 large prospective United States cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Mar;121(3):695-702. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.01.017.Epub 2025 Jan 18.

4. Paredes J, et al. Increased Fiber Intake Results in Better Overall Survival and Lower GI-aGVHD in Allo-HCT Recipients and Pre-Clinical Gvhd Models. https://ash.confex.com/ash/2024/webprogram/Paper204399.html

5. Shah U, et al. A High-Fiber Dietary Intervention (NUTRIVENTION) in Precursor Plasma Cell Disorders Improves Biomarkers of Disease and May Delay Progression to Myeloma. https://ash.confex.com/ash/2024/webprogram/Paper202224.html