Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease that replaces healthy liver tissue with scar tissue, resulting in blockage of blood flow to the liver. This in turn affects liver functioning.
Cirrhosis causes around 1 million deaths every year, and can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption, hepatitis infections, immune disorders and fatty liver disease.
According to the Global Burden of Disease Study (2013), cirrhosis resulted in 1.2 million deaths in 2013, up from 0.8 million deaths in 1990.
Increasing your coffee intake to 2 cups daily may help reduce your chances of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis. This is what a 2016 study published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics says.
In the study, researchers analyzed nine different studies that examined the relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of cirrhosis. The nine studies were published between 1994 and 2015 and involved 1990 cases and 432 133 participants.
Eight studies showed that increasing coffee consumption by 2 cups per day was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of cirrhosis.
The caffeine in coffee metabolizes into a substance called paraxanthine, which prevents the growth of connective tissue, so the development of liver cirrhosis is postponed.
To lower your risk of liver cancer, drink 2 cups of coffee daily. Coffee contains about 100 active compounds including antioxidants, polyphenols and caffeine, which play a key role in reducing the risk of liver cancer. Coffee also affects liver enzymes.
A 2005 study published in the International Journal of Cancer for the first time concluded that coffee intake is significantly associated with a decreased incidence of liver cancer.
Even people with a history of liver disease showed an inverse association between coffee consumption and the risk of liver cancer.
Another meta-analysis published in Gastroenterology in 2007 suggests that an increased consumption of coffee may reduce the risk of liver cancer. It shows that the risk of liver cancer is reduced by 44 percent for each 2 daily cups.
Similarly, a 2013 study published in BMC Gastroenterology suggested an inverse association between coffee consumption and liver cancer.
Coffee is even beneficial for hepatitis C-related liver disease.
According to the World Health Organization, over 130 to 150 million people have chronic hepatitis C.
It is a contagious disease that causes inflammation and infection of the liver. It can range in severity and be classified as either acute or chronic. There is no vaccination to prevent hepatitis C.
In a 2009 study published in Hepatology, some 766 hepatitis C-infected patients were analyzed for nearly four years. It was found that regular coffee consumption was statistically significantly associated with lower rates of disease progression.
In a 2011 study published in the Journal of Hepatology, a total of 238 treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) were studied. In this study, the potential hepatoprotective properties of caffeine were found to be effective in protecting against chronic liver diseases.
Caffeine intake of greater than 408 mg/day (3 cups or more) is associated with reduced histological activity in patients with CHC.
A hospital-based cohort study in 2013 included a total 376 patients suffering from hepatitis C virus (HCV). For 12 months, researchers examined the effect of coffee consumption on serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level among these patients.
After one year, it was found that daily consumption of filtered coffee had a beneficial effect on the stabilization of ALT levels. This study was published in PLOS One journal.