A new study suggests that drinking coffee and tea might be good for the liver health.
Researchers observed the data of more than 2,400 people who were at least at the age of 45. The study took place in Amsterdam, participants completed a health screening and questionnaire regarding their diets and reported the results as; consuming higher amounts of coffee or more than three cups per day, moderate or less than three cups each day, and no coffee at all.
The tea, on the other hand, was measured through either consumption of green black, herbal, or none. In the result, researchers have found that those who are drinking more coffee and tea had less liver stiffness - associated with liver disease such as cancer.
Dr. Sarwa Darwish Murad, the co-author of the study and a hepatologist at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said that their experimental data reveals the benefits of coffee and tea to liver health particularly in fighting liver cancer, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver enzyme elevations, and NAFLD.
Apart from the liver, coffee has also been found to be inversely associated with the total mortality in the general population. The specific mechanism remains unknown, but researchers believed that it is likely due to antioxidant effects.
Cirrhosis and chronic liver disease are the leading causes of death when it comes to liver health problems, according to Johns Hopkins Hospital. Most cases of cirrhosis are because of too much alcohol consumption. But, another co-author of the study, Dr. Louise J.M. Alferink, says that lifestyle habits could further the damage in the liver.
Diets lacking nutrients, processed foods, artificial sugars, are furthering non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Alferink noted. The term is used in describing a variety of liver problems of people who drink little alcohol yet diagnosed with the condition as excessive fat is stored in the liver.
Doctors aren't really sure on why some people develop the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, there are several health problems linked to the condition such as high blood sugar, obesity, insulin resistance, high levels of fat in the blood, WebMD reported. In severe cases, as per Mayo Clinic, people with a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease could develop cirrhosis or about 20 percent of cases.
This new study could offer new possible weapon for people diagnosed with liver problems and researchers suggest that a warm cup of coffee is beneficial to liver health.