Coffee and tea might reduce liver disease risks

By Stephen Daniells

- Last updated on GMT

Drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily appears to cut
the risk of chronic liver disease by half, reports new research
from America.

"The principle finding of this large, national, population-based prospective study was that higher coffee and tea consumption reduced the risk of chronic liver disease,"​ said the researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

Drinking coffee has already been associated with a lower risk of liver cancer and a reduced risk of death from liver cirrhosis.

The new, long-term study followed 9,849 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), conducted between 1971 and 1975, and also analysed follow-up studies, conducted between 1982 and 1993.

"Persons who drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day had less than half the risk [of chronic liver disease] of those consuming less than one cup per day,"​ wrote Dr Constance Ruhl and Dr James Everhart in the article to be published in Gastroenterology​.

However they added: "Despite this… protective effect of coffee on the liver, a mechanism is not yet known, nor have there been clinical trials. Furthermore, it is uncertain what component or combination of components might be protective."

The researchers noted that various coffee constituents, including caffeine, cafestol, kahweol (nontriglyceride lipid components of coffee oils), and antioxidants from coffee bean extracts, have been found to have a favourable effect on the liver in experimental studies.

Chronic liver disease (CLD) affects 5 million people in the US. The two most common causes of CLD are hepatitis C infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, both of these causes, "were not recognized through most of the years of the study,"​ admitted the researchers.

"This is a problem inherent to population-based studies that span decades. Nevertheless, it would be clinically relevant to know if protective effects found in the current study apply to all chronic liver diseases or just to one or two major causes,"​ they wrote.

Worldwide daily caffeine consumption averages one and a half cups, while the US average is more than three and a half cups.

Related topics Ingredients

Related news

Related products

show more

Sweeten Your Treats with Sustainable Syrups

Sweeten Your Treats with Sustainable Syrups

Content provided by Green Plains Inc. | 03-Oct-2024 | Insight Guide

Elevate your products with Green Plains’ premium, low carbon-intensity corn syrups. Drop-in replacements with an up to 40% lower carbon footprint than...

Breakthrough ingredients for better-for-you bread

Breakthrough ingredients for better-for-you bread

Content provided by ADM | 03-Oct-2024 | White Paper

Our new flour blend is a carefully curated blend of clinically studied ingredients to help you create better-for-you bread that tastes great to help you...

Download Candy Sugar Brochure by Südzucker

Download Candy Sugar Brochure by Südzucker

Content provided by Südzucker AG | 01-Oct-2024 | Product Brochure

Candy sugars offer a clean label option for the food industry, providing a distinctive caramel flavour and texture that enhances a wide range of products....

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars