Drinking more coffee might help reduce the kind of liver damage that’s associated with overindulging in food and alcohol, a review of existing studies suggests.
Researchers analyzed data from nine previously published studies with a
total of more than 430,000 participants and found that drinking two
additional cups of coffee a day was linked to a 44% lower risk of
developing liver cirrhosis.
“Cirrhosis is potentially fatal and there is no cure as such,” said
lead study author Dr. Oliver Kennedy of Southampton University in the
U.K.
“Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may
be reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous and
well-tolerated beverage,” Kennedy added by email.
Cirrhosis kills more than one million people every year worldwide. It
can be caused by hepatitis infections, excessive alcohol consumption,
immune disorders and fatty liver disease, which is tied to obesity and
diabetes.
Kennedy and colleagues did a pooled analysis of average coffee
consumption across earlier studies to see how much adding two additional
cups each day might influence the odds of liver disease.
Combined, the studies included 1,990 patients with cirrhosis.
In eight of the nine studies analyzed, increasing coffee consumption by
two cups a day was associated with a significant reduction in the risk
of cirrhosis.
In all but one study, the risk of cirrhosis continued to decline as daily cups of coffee climbed.
Compared to no coffee consumption, researchers estimated one cup a day
was tied to a 22% lower risk of cirrhosis. With two cups, the risk
dropped by 43%, while it declined 57% for three cups and 65% with four
cups.
But the results still leave some unresolved questions.
One study, for example, found a stronger link between coffee
consumption and reduced cirrhosis risk with filtered coffee than with
boiled coffee.
And, while the studies accounted for alcohol consumption, not all them
accounted for other cirrhosis risk factors like obesity and diabetes,
the authors note in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, online January 25.
Patients also shouldn’t take the findings to mean loading up on frothy
caramel lattes packed with sugar and topped with whipped cream is a good
way to prevent liver disease, Kennedy cautioned.
It’s also not clear exactly how coffee might lead to a healthier liver, or whether the type of beans or brewing method matter.
“Coffee is a complex mixture containing hundreds of chemical compounds,
and it is unknown which of these is responsible for protecting the
liver,” Kennedy said.
It’s also important to note that coffee isn’t powerful enough to counteract lifestyle choices that can severely damage the liver,
said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York
University Langone Medical Center in New York who wasn’t involved in the
study.
“Unfortunately, although coffee contains compounds that have
antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory properties, drinking a few
cups of coffee a day cannot undo the systematic damage that is the
result of being overweight or obese, sedentary, excessive alcohol
consumption or drastically mitigate an unhealthy diet,” Heller said by
email.
No comments:
Post a Comment