Drinking coffee reduces the risk of liver cirrhosis

Researchers have said that consuming two or more cups of coffee each day reduces the risk of death from liver cirrhosis by 66 per cent, specifically cirrhosis caused by non-viral hepatitis. Lead researcher, Dr. Woon-Puay Koh with Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore and the National University of Singapore, said prior evidence suggests that coffee may reduce liver damage in patients with chronic liver disease.

He said that their study examined the effects of consuming coffee, alcohol, black tea, green tea, and soft drinks on risk of mortality from cirrhosis. This prospective population-based study, known as The Singapore Chinese Health Study, recruited 63,275 Chinese subjects between the ages of 45 and 74 living in Singapore. Participants provided information on diet, lifestyle choices, and medical history during in-person interviews conducted between 1993 and 1998. Patients were followed for an average of nearly 15 years, during which time there were 14,928 deaths (24 per cent); 114 of them died from liver cirrhosis. The mean age of death was 67 years. (Read: Revealed why you need coffee to give you the wake-up jolt)

Findings indicate that those who drank at least 20 g of ethanol daily had a greater risk of cirrhosis mortality compared to non-drinker. In contrast, coffee intake was associated with a lower risk of death from cirrhosis, specifically for non-viral hepatitis related cirrhosis. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic liver disease related to the metabolic syndrome and more sedentary affluent lifestyle, likely predominates among the non-viral hepatitis related cirrhosis group. In fact, subjects who drank two or more cups per day had a 66 per cent reduction in mortality risk, compared to non-daily coffee drinkers. (Read: How coffee helps prevent diabetes)

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The findings have been published in journal Hepatology.

Potential health benefits of coffee:

1. Good for your heart

Scientists say green tea and coffee, if made a regular part of the diet, could benefit the heart, according to research conducted in Japan and published in the US. Green tea and coffee may help lower your risk of having a stroke, especially when both are a regular part of your diet, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. 'This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks,' said Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the study at Japan's National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Centre. 'You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet.' Read more

2. Could prevent autoimmune liver disease!

Research has shown that regular coffee drinkers are at a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis - an autoimmune liver disease. PSC is an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts that results in inflammation and subsequent fibrosis that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and biliary cancer. Study author Craig Lammert, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist said, 'While rare, PSC has extremely detrimental effects.' Read more

3. Could reduce risk of suicide!

A study suggested that having two to four cups of coffee every day can reduce the risk of suicide among men and women by 50 per cent. The finding was reached after researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed data from three previous US studies. They found that the risk of suicide amongst adults, drinking several cups of caffeinated coffee on a daily basis, was about half compared to those who drank decaffeinated coffee, very little coffee or no coffee at all. ( Read: Health benefits of coffee to help justify your addiction! )

With inputs from ANI

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