According to research, drinking three to four cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee can reduce the risk of chronic liver disease and liver-related death.
Exams, excess work, night shifts, and long days: all demand a cup of coffee. Whether decaf or regular coffee, it is a part and parcel of many individuals’ lives. However, it is not uncommon to hear that excess coffee can have several side effects. This is not untrue. Excess coffee can lead to anxiety, tremors, headaches, hypertension, and sleep disturbances. However, there is a brighter side of the picture too which favours coffee drinking. It reduces the risk of chronic liver disease.
Research revealed that individuals who consume coffee are 21% less likely to develop chronic liver disease, and 49% less likely to suffer chronic liver disease-related death when compared with those who do not consume coffee.
Dr. Oliver Kennedy of the University of Southampton in the UK said:
“Coffee is widely accessible, and the benefits we see from our study may mean it could offer a potential preventative treatment for chronic liver disease. This would be especially valuable in countries with lower income and worse access to healthcare and where the burden of chronic liver disease is highest.”
The study revealed a maximum benefit in the group of people who drank ground caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. However, the study also outlined some benefits for those who drank instant coffee. One of the reasons can be the high content of kahweol and cafestol in ground coffee. These two are anti-oxidants with anti-inflammatory properties.
A prior study had also outlined a reduced risk of hepatocellular cancer with coffee consumption.
Not only the risk of liver disease decreases with coffee intake, but 2-3 cups of caffeinated coffee a day reduces the risk of heart failure. Moreover, coffee can also lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and skin cancers,
However, Cafestol in coffee is associated with an increase in LDL, also known as bad cholesterol.
Dr. Rob van Dam of Harvard’s School of Health.
“We did not find any relationship between coffee consumption and increased risk of death from any cause, death from cancer, or death from cardiovascular disease. Even people who drank up to six cups of coffee per day were at no higher risk of death.”
