Grounds for liver health - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, Nov, 2003

Drinking three cups of coffee daily could reduce the risk of dying from cirrhosis of the liver, suggests a recent study.

A team from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health followed up on 51,306 adults who underwent screening for cardiovascular disease.

The relative risk of liver cirrhosis--adjusted for sex, age, alcohol use and other major factors--was reduced by 40 percent for those drinking three cups of coffee a day. The results were identical for alcoholic cirrhosis, reported the researchers in the July 2003 issue of the Annals of Epidemiology.

The study couldn't determine which coffee component produces the liver-protective effect. The beneficial ingredient is unlikely to be caffeine, however. Coffee has been related to a reduced risk of diabetes as well. However, some studies suggest that heavy coffee drinkers can increase their chances of developing heart disease.