Data was analyzed from 14,208 participants between the age of 45-64 in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study who filled out diet surveys over the course of 26 years which were used to find those who drank coffee to cross reference with those who reported liver health issues, and to cross reference with hospital discharge papers and death certificates.
Findings from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health which found coffee drinkers to have a 21% reduction in their risk of liver disease were presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting.
“It was a really great experience to present this research and it was quite surprising how much interest there was in this research. Everyone who loves coffee was delighted to hear these results. Others have said it would not be surprising that coffee may be protective of liver disease and that it may be beneficial for the liver.” says Emily Hu.
In the past coffee has been shown to help reverse alcohol related liver damage in a review analyzing data from 9 different studies involving 430,000 participants. In this study scientists from Southampton University found drinking 2 cups of coffee every day helped to reduce the risk of cirrhosis by as much as 44%, one cup was tied to 22%, 3 cups lowered risk by 57%, and 4 cups dropped the risk for cirrhosis by 65%.
“Cirrhosis is potentially fatal and there is no cure as such. Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may be reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous and well-tolerated beverage.” notes Dr. Oliver Kennedy.
Coffee has been consistently found to protect liver health, some research suggests it may help to protect against cancer and it may help to protect the brain as you age to help ward off cognitive decline and dementia.
Drinking that cup of java to kick start your day may sound great, but what you put in it really matters; loading up on cream and sugar every cuppa comes with its own negative consequences that really are not desired.
