Five or more cups of coffee a day can cut the risk of liver cirrhosis by nearly a third and the likelihood of developing liver cancer by almost half. Those are the findings of a team led by Dr. Hyunsuk Kim of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, who analyzed data from more than 355,000 adults in the UK Biobank. The results were published in the journal "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology," according to infohub.kz.
The researchers found a clear dose-response relationship: the more coffee people drank, the more pronounced the protective effect compared with non-drinkers. The reduction in cirrhosis risk was 32%, and the risk of liver cancer fell by almost 50%.
Another study, published in the journal "Nutrients," showed the benefits of tomatoes for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Participants who ate 200 grams of raw tomatoes and 50 grams of tomato sauce every day for six weeks showed a significant reduction in liver fat. However, Dr. Randa Abdelmasih of the University of Texas Medical Branch noted that tomatoes did not improve fibrosis measures or levels of inflammatory markers.
At the same time, a study in mice published in the journal "Science Advances" identified a threat from polyethylene microplastics, which are widely used in packaging. Endocrinologists and internists, including Dr. Opel Baker of the Mayfield Clinic, stress that polyethylene triggers fatty changes in the liver in animals and worsens steatohepatitis. However, further clinical observations are needed to confirm a similar effect in humans.