Higher Coffee Consumption May Improve Liver Health

Coffee is one of the most studied beverages in the world, and numerous studies have suggested that drinking coffee can bring significant health benefits. Along with improved memory function and mood, these include reduced risk of heart disease and multiple types of cancer.

A recent study suggests that those drinking coffee on a regular basis may have a significantly lower risk of developing serious liver disease, including cirrhosis and certain liver cancers.

Published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Heptatology, the large-scale study was conducted by researchers from Cedars-Sinai Health and Sciences University, analyzing data from more than 355,000 participants enrolled in the U.K. Biobank over a median period of 13 years. Participants in the study had no history of liver-related problems at the start of the study, and researchers tracked new diagnoses of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver-related death through linked health records.

Researchers observed that people who regularly consume five or more cups of coffee per day had a 32% lower risk of developing cirrhosis as well as a 47% lower risk of developing liver cancer. These study participants also had a 42% lower risk of dying from liver-related causes than those who abstain from drinking coffee. 

Still No Definitive Proof

While the results of the test certainly suggest that regular coffee consumption is tied to improved liver health, it’s important to note that researchers explicitly state that the findings don’t prove that coffee is the direct cause of these benefits. Still, coffee drinkers’ blood tests showed higher levels of proteins tied to healthy liver function and lower levels of proteins linked to inflammation and liver scarring. 

“Previous studies suggested that coffee might benefit the liver, but most were smaller or looked at only one piece of the puzzle,” said hepatologist Hyunseok Kim, MD, MPH, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. “We followed hundreds of thousands of people for more than a decade and looked at their health outcomes along with liver MRI scans and blood protein analyses. Together, those findings help explain the biological mechanisms behind coffee’s association with better liver health.”

Moderation Is Key

In spite of the benefits to liver health observed in those drinking five or more cups of coffee daily, the study also revealed that benefits were seen in those drinking one or two cups a day. What’s more, decaffeinated coffee was just as effective as regular, suggesting that other naturally occurring compounds in coffee are responsible.

Still, researchers caution against increasing your daily intake: “Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well,” said study senior author Ju Dong Yang, MD, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai. “However, we would not recommend that someone begin drinking coffee solely for liver protection based on this study alone. Prevention should continue to focus on maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, exercising regularly, and managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.”

It should also be noted that some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. And those with high blood pressure, anxiety disorders or insomnia should consult with their healthcare provider before increasing their daily caffeine intake.

Next Steps for Researchers

To establish a more direct link between coffee and liver health, researchers must now identify which compounds in coffee might be most beneficial.

“The next step in our research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee that are responsible for these liver-protective associations,” said study author Shelly Lu, MD, the Women’s Guild Chair in Gastroenterology and director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai. “Our findings point to biological pathways involving inflammation and scarring and highlight molecular targets that future research can explore to better understand how coffee may influence liver health and who stands to benefit the most.”