A new large-scale study involving more than 350,000 people has confirmed that regular coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing dangerous liver diseases, reports infohub.kz.
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles analyzed data from 354,957 participants in the UK Biobank, who were followed for an average of 13 years. The results were published in the journal "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology."
The comparative analysis showed that people who drink five or more cups of coffee per day have a 32% lower risk of developing cirrhosis, a 47% lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, and a 42% lower risk of dying from liver diseases compared to those who do not drink coffee. A positive effect was also observed with smaller amounts—from one to four cups per day.
According to Dr. Hyunseok Kim, an assistant professor of medicine, MRI scans of 28,961 participants showed that coffee lovers had lower levels of liver fat, iron, fibrosis, and inflammation. The protective effects were seen with both regular and decaffeinated coffee. However, adding sugar or artificial sweeteners increased markers of inflammation.
The researchers, including Dr. Yoosun Yang and Dr. Hyunseok Kim, emphasize that the study is observational, so they do not recommend starting to drink coffee solely for liver protection.