Cirrhosis of the liver can be prevented by drinking coffee regularly

Some say drinking coffee is not good for the health of your liver. In fact, recent research has proven otherwise. Drinking coffee every day is associated with a reduced risk of cirrhosis of the liver, especially in people who like to drink alcoholic beverages such as beer.

In the study, it was stated that drinking two cups of coffee every day can reduce your risk of developing liver cirrhosis due to alcohol consumption. Wait a minute, what is liver cirrhosis and how does it relate to coffee and alcoholic beverages? Check out the answer below.

What is cirrhosis of the liver?

Cirrhosis of the liver is damage to liver tissue characterized by the formation of fibrosis tissue. As a result, small lumps appear on your liver. The duration of progression of liver tissue damage to eventually cirrhosis varies, it can occur in just a few weeks or a few years.

Some of the causes of liver tissue damage are hepatitis virus infection, excessive alcohol consumption, autoimmune diseases, obesity, and diabetes. Signs and symptoms that are common in liver cirrhosis are decreased liver function, hypertension, and decreased liver function.

Can coffee help prevent cirrhosis of the liver?

Experts from the University of Southampton, UK, collected and analyzed data from nine long-term studies that included nearly 500,000 male and female participants from six countries. This analysis shows a link between the amount of coffee consumption and the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver. In fact, the risk of cirrhosis of the liver is lower in people who drink coffee regularly.

People who drank one cup of coffee every day had a 22 percent lower risk of developing cirrhosis. Drinking two cups will lower the risk by 43 percent. While three cups lowered the risk by 57 percent and four cups lowered the risk by 65 percent.

However, drinking more than three cups of coffee a day may actually have harmful side effects for your liver and overall health. So, you will only get the healthy benefits of coffee for the liver if you don't drink it excessively.

How can coffee protect the liver?

In this study, experts explained that coffee has many active ingredients. Apart from caffeine, coffee also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents such as chlorogenic acid, kahweol, and kafestol. These three ingredients are believed to provide a protective effect on the liver.

Apart from its direct effects, coffee also has an indirect effect in preventing cirrhosis in people who drink mostly alcohol. Researchers say that coffee contains various other compounds that can block the hepatitis B and C viruses, and can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (diabetes).

What does it mean that I am free to drink alcohol, as long as I regularly drink coffee?

Of course not. Remember, anything excess is bad for the body. So it is with alcoholic drinks and coffee. The reason is, the liver's ability to filter waste products from alcohol and caffeine has limits.

Coffee contains hundreds of chemical compounds, while it is still not certain which compounds are responsible for protecting the liver. It is also not known what kind of coffee is good for the liver, or whether the origin of the coffee beans or the method of brewing the coffee has an effect or not.

Samantha Heller, clinical nutritionist at New York University, said that although coffee contains compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, drinking several cups of coffee a day still cannot reverse liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption. So, coffee cannot be used as a medicine for people who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Coffee is only able to prevent symptoms from appearing.

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