Research shows that if you suffer from liver disease and drink moderate amounts of coffee each day, you gain protection against some serious complications. Coffee could reduce your chances of liver cirrhosis, even if you abuse alcohol regularly. Coffee could lower your risk of liver cancer and help prevent gallstones formed by excessive cholesterol in your liver's bile. Coffee does not enhance your liver's performance.
Coffee's Real Effects
Caffeine could play a role in coffee's benevolent effects, but other less understood compounds in compounds also contribute. Research shows a strong link between the consumption of coffee and the incidence of some liver diseases. Coffee slows the scarring that results from liver diseases such as hepatitis C and from chronic alcohol abuse. For every cup of coffee you drink, your risk of dying from cirrhosis caused by alcoholism drops by 22 percent, says the Linus Pauling Institute. Coffee does not protect the liver from all types of damage, but if you drink heavily or suffer from chronic hepatitis, coffee consumption helps maintain normal liver function.
Cancer Prevention
Antioxidants and other beneficial chemical compounds in coffee lower your risk of liver cancer if you fall into certain high-risk categories. If you don't suffer from liver disease, drinking coffee might improve your liver's chances of staying cancer-free. Studies conducted in Japan and Finland followed coffee drinkers with hepatitis C or other liver disease and compared their incidence of cancer with a control population having no history of coffee consumption. The high-risk coffee drinkers had half the chance of developing liver cancer as did the healthy non-coffee drinkers. Studies did not confirm a similar benefit for healthy coffee consumers, the Linus Pauling Institute reports.
Gallstones
The bile your liver secretes flows to the gallbladder for storage and releases into the digestive tract to help process fats. Too much cholesterol in your bile could create deposits of sharp crystals in your gallbladder or in your liver's bile ducts. Gallstones interfere with the functioning of both your liver and gallbladder and cause extreme pain. Caffeine in coffee could help by exaggerating the gallbladder's movements and expelling small stones before they become problems. Of several caffeinated beverages studied, only coffee demonstrated any protection against gallstones, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Cautions
Research shows that those receiving the greatest benefits from coffee, in terms of liver health, already suffer from addictions or afflictions causing their livers harm. Although the role of coffee in protecting liver function in healthy people is not proven, coffee drinking could offer benefits in ways not yet understood. Other aspects of your lifestyle also affect the health of your liver. In addition to regular coffee consumption, eat less saturated fat and more healthy fat such as fish oil. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, and reduce your intake of sugar and alcohol, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends.
