cup of black coffee in a traditional white cup on a saucer with a spoon resting beside it.
Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
January 9, 2024 ·  2 min read

Drinking coffee may cut risk of chronic liver disease, study suggests

Approximately 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed per day. While some debate the pros and cons of the brew, a growing body of research shows how drinking coffee may be beneficial in preventing liver disease. This is what the research says.

Research Shows Coffee May Help Prevent Liver Disease

According to the British Liver Trust, liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK. However, a new study from the University of Southampton shows that drinking coffee might actually help stave off the disease. The research used information from 494,585 participants in the UK Biobank.

The Study

The participants were all between the ages of 40 and 69. Of the total participants, 78% said they were regular coffee drinkers while the other 22% were not. The researchers studied the liver health of each participant over the span of 11 years. They found 3,600 cases of chronic liver disease including 301 deaths, as well as 1,839 cases of fatty liver disease.

The researchers took into account:

  • Body mass index
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Smoking status

They discovered that the participants who drank any amount of coffee of any kind had a 20% lower risk of developing chronic or fatty liver disease than those who didn’t drink the beverage. The coffee consumers also had a 49% lower risk of dying from liver disease than the non-drinkers. In addition, they found that there is an associated risk reduction with instant, decaf, and ground coffee; however, ground coffee had the highest effect.

Study Limitations

The research team was clear in their study that this does not necessarily prove that drinking coffee reduces the risk of chronic liver disease. This is partly because participants were only asked about their coffee drinking habits once instead of continuously throughout the course of the study. However, study co-author Paul Roderick mentioned to The Guardian that several ingredients in coffee might have beneficial effects on the liver.

“It does, however, raise the issue that it [coffee] might be an effective intervention to prevent severe liver disease, say in those at high risk,” he explained.

Paul Roderick – The Guardian

Drinking Coffee Isn’t The First Solution To Liver Disease

While yes, there is more and more research suggesting that coffee is beneficial for the liver, it is important to note that it should not be your first line of defense against liver disease. According to The Guardian, decreasing alcohol consumption and a healthy diet should always be the first thing you do to prevent and decrease your risk for liver disease. Drinking coffee is just a bonus, provided you don’t overdo it. Keeping your consumption to at most three or four cups a day is suggested.

Keep Reading: Daytime Naps Boost Your Heart and Brain Health, Reduce Stress and Much More

Sources

  1. Health benefits and risks of drinking coffeeMedical News Today. Joseph Nordqvist. July 10, 2019.
  2. “All coffee types decrease the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in chronic liver disease: a UK Biobank study” BMC Public Health. O. J. Kennedy et al., June 22, 2021.
  3. Drinking coffee may cut risk of chronic liver disease, study suggests.” The Guardian. Nicola Davis. June 22, 2021.