Java for the liver

Better Nutrition, May, 2005

A study by the National Cancer Center in Tokyo of more than 90,000 Japanese found that people who drank coffee daily had half the liver cancer risk of those who never drank coffee.

They found that the protective effect occurred in people who drank one to two cups of coffee a day, and the benefits increased at three to four cups.

They were unable to compare the effect of regular and decaffeinated coffee, however, because decal is rarely consumed in Japan.

Although the reason for the risk reduction remains unclear, the team noted that coffee contains large amounts of antioxidants. Several animal studies have indicated that antioxidants have the potential to inhibit liver cancer. The research was published in the

February 16, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.