Categories: Lifestyle

Is Coffee Good for the Liver?

The liver is one of the largest and most important internal organs in the human body, with over 500 different functions attributed to it. Like other organs of the body, the liver too is prone to several conditions. Some of them are viral hepatitis, Immune hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and liver cancer. Of late, the Western world has seen an alarming increase in the incidents of liver disease due to consuming alcohol in excess or a diet rich in fat.

Liver disease is a condition in which the liver progresses through 5 different stages of damage: Inflammation, scarring (fibrosis), cirrhosis, end-stage-liver-disease, and liver cancer. While the first four stages happen in sequence, liver cancer can happen at any stage or independent of the others. Treatment and recovery depend on what stage the disease was discovered. In worst cases, partial or total liver transplant is the only option, and when a matching liver is not available, liver failure and mortality are inevitable.

Also Read: Frequently Asked Questions around Liver Cancer

Coffee and the Liver

Since the last decade or more, several American and European agencies have been conducting research on coffee and its beneficial effects on the liver. These agencies include: Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, British Liver Trust, and Royal Society for Medicine. The findings across the various reports published are significant.

Coffee helps patients with Hepatitis C fight the condition better.
Regular coffee drinking reduces the chances of developing cirrhosis or delay its progression.
Drinking 3 cups of coffee a day can help prevent liver conditions from developing, while drinking 4 to 5 cups a day when the person is suffering from hepatitis or fatty liver disease can keep the symptoms under control.
These benefits extend whether the coffee is instant, filtered, or espresso.
Drinking reasonable amounts of coffee can reduce the risk of developing liver cancer, and the risk falls as coffee consumption rises.
Moderate coffee consumption can slow down the progression of chronic liver disease. Basically, it slows down the progression of fibrosis in patients with hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and non-alcohol fatty liver disease.
Patients who consumed a higher quantity of coffee show a milder course of fibrosis, especially in those patients with alcohol-related liver disease.
Patients with hepatitis C who drink several cups of coffee a day have a lower rate of progression of liver disease than those who drink less coffee.
Consuming coffee has been related to slower development of cirrhosis in patients who are scheduled for a liver biopsy.
In addition to liver cancer, female coffee drinkers are less likely to develop endometrial cancer (lining of the uterus).
Drinking 2 cups of coffee a day can cut down the chances of developing cirrhosis by 44%, while drinking 4 cups a day can cut this down by 65%. The same figures are 25% and 50% in the case of liver cancer.

How Does Coffee Help?

Research is inconclusive on why or how exactly does coffee help, but the following have been suggested by some scientists:

When coffee is digested, one of the end products created is paraxanthine. This suppresses the connective tissue growth factor, which leads to slow growth of connective tissue. In the liver, this helps slow down the growth of scar tissue which is associated with fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
Kahweol and cafestol are 2 chemicals found in coffee. These have been known to delay the growth or multiplication of cancer cells, which effectively fight several cancers including that of the liver.
Some of the acids present in coffee may successfully fight the virus that causes hepatitis C, a risk factor for liver disease.
Some people are sensitive to coffee. Drinking it in excess causes headaches, irritations in the stomach, digestion issues, overall irritability, and lack of sleep. Such people should not use coffee as a cure for their liver conditions. The risk outweighs the benefits.

A Word of Caution

All the above benefits of coffee come with some terms and conditions. The coffee must have as little cream or sugar as possible for maximum benefit. This means black coffee is ideal.
People with an irregular heart-beat or heart problems should avoid drinking coffee in excess due to the effects of caffeine on the heart.
Similarly, people with lung cancer should avoid coffee as much as possible.
Drinking coffee excessively is known to increase blood cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure. So people who are already suffering from high BP should avoid coffee as much as possible even if they have some liver condition.
Drinking coffee is just one of the methods of reducing the risk or progression of liver disease. However, if one is an alcoholic and has not given up alcohol or reduced its consumption in spite of developing any liver ailment, then the coffee drinking will not help. It will only help when all other requirements have been met.
So what are those requirements? Having a healthy liver and reducing the risk of developing liver conditions require a healthy lifestyle. This includes a healthy and balanced diet rich in fiber and low in fat, limited to no consumption of alcohol, drinking adequate amounts of water, and exercising regularly. These are what prevent the onset of any disease in the body and that applies to the liver as well.

Outlook

Most of the above research are based on controlled conditions and smaller set of people surveyed. Needless to say, all the terms and conditions mentioned above may not be covered. More research is required to understand when, how, and how much can coffee help treat liver conditions.

So before you start binging on coffee to reduce the risk of developing liver conditions (if you don’t have them) or delay their progression (if you have them), better consult a doctor at a reputed hospital. He/she will assess your overall health and your liver condition, counsel you on the dos and don’ts for liver health, or decide the best course of treatment for quick recovery and rehabilitation.

Reviewed by Dr Suresh S Venkita, Group Medical Director, Kauvery Hospitals

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

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