Coffee Lovers and Their Livers Can Celebrate, Study Suggests

Coffee consumption has been linked to a number of health benefits, such as reduced risks of dementia, head and neck cancer, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.According to data from the U.K. Biobank, a higher intake of coffee was associated with lower risks of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver-related mortality.These associations persisted for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and for unsweetened and sweetened coffee.

Coffee drinking was associated with lower risks of serious liver disease and related mortality, with the more one consumes the better, data from the U.K. Biobank suggested.

Over a median 13-year follow-up, drinking five or more cups of coffee per day was tied to reduced risks of cirrhosis (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.58-0.79), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34-0.83), and liver-related mortality (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45-0.74), reported Hyun-Seok Kim, MD, MPH, PhD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues.

Even lower consumption (≥1-2 cups per day) was linked to significantly reduced risks of cirrhosis (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72-0.89), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.57-0.99), and liver-related mortality (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58-0.82) compared with no consumption, they noted in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.