Good news for coffee lovers. Your daily indulgence might be doing more than just waking you up. Your coffee consumption might be saving you from liver disease. Yes, that’s right. Coffee consumption is good for your liver. A new study has found that coffee not only has a protective effect on the liver but also reduces the risk of fatty liver and other chronic liver diseases.A study by the researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh, UK, found that drinking any type of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of chronic liver disease. The findings are published in the journal BMC Public Health.
Coffee and liver
The liver is the largest organ in the human body, and it acts as a filter that processes blood and breaks down nutrients, toxins, and waste products. The liver also plays a vital role in metabolism, digestion, and immune function. The researchers found that drinking coffee, be it caffeinated (ground or instant) or decaffeinated, is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic liver disease and related liver conditions. The study also revealed that drinking any type of coffee was associated with a reduced risk of developing and dying from chronic liver disease compared to not drinking coffee. The benefits peaked when three to four cups were consumed every day.
The study
To understand the benefits of coffee on the liver, the researchers studied data from 495,585 participants with known coffee consumption. The data was collected from the UK Biobank. These participants were followed for over a median of 10.7 years, and the researchers looked to see if they developed chronic liver disease and related liver conditions.
The findings
They observed that about 78% (384,818) of the participants consumed ground or instant caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. 22% (109,767) did not drink any type of coffee. 3,600 cases of chronic liver disease, including 301 deaths, were reported during this period of study. 5,439 cases of chronic liver disease or steatosis (a buildup of fat in the liver, also known as fatty liver disease), and 184 cases of Hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer, were also reported. The researchers found that people who drank coffee had a 21% reduced risk of chronic liver disease, a 20% reduced risk of chronic or fatty liver disease, and a 49% reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease, when compared to non-coffee drinkers. People who consumed ground coffee had the maximum benefit. This is because ground coffee contains high levels of the ingredients Kahweol and cafestol, which are beneficial against chronic liver disease in animals.
They also found that instant coffee, which has low levels of Kahweol and cafestol, was associated with a reduced risk of chronic liver disease. Though the risk reduction was less than ground coffee, it still offers benefits. “Coffee is widely accessible, and the benefits we see from our study may mean it could offer a potential preventative treatment for chronic liver disease. This would be especially valuable in countries with lower income and worse access to healthcare and where the burden of chronic liver disease is highest,” Dr Oliver Kennedy, the lead author, said.
