Wanna help your liver out? Keep drinking coffee, seriously

There's more good news for coffee lovers.

Drinking more of your favourite roast has been tied to a lower risk of deadly liver cancer, cirrhosis and other liver-related causes of death, according to a new study of 355,000 adults from Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.

People who consume five or more cups a day say their risk of cirrhosis shrinks by nearly a third, close to half had a lower risk of liver cancer and 42 percent had a lower risk of liver-related death, the researchers said Wednesday.

Benefits were seen even at one to two cups a day, but appeared to be the strongest at around three or four cups. Coffee drinkers' blood tests showed higher levels of proteins tied to healthy liver function and lower levels of those linked to scarring and inflammation. They also had lower levels of fat, liver and iron.

"Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well," Dr. Ju Dong Yang, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai, said in a statement.

The researchers studied the health data of participants in the U.K. Biobank, a database that includes the health records of half a million British adults, over the course of 13 years. They looked at liver MRI scans and analyzed levels of protein in the blood.

During the study, they also saw similar benefits for both fully caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

That suggests that other naturally occurring compounds in coffee may contribute to these benefits.

"The next step in our research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee that are responsible for these liver-protective associations," Dr. Shelly Lu, director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai, said.

"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," she said.

The study's findings build on previous research showing drinking coffee can help to boost mood and improve gut, brain and heart health.

However, the researchers have several cautionary notes. The study was observational and doesn't prove that coffee prevents liver disease, so it should only complement established practices for preventing liver disease.

Caffeine is also not beneficial for everyone and can exacerbate heart conditions and raise blood pressure and feelings of anxiety or sleep disorders.

That's part of why the researchers say they would not recommend people increase the amount of coffee they drink to five cups or advise that people begin drinking coffee solely for liver protection based on this study.

"Prevention should continue to focus on maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, exercising regularly, and managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol," said Yang.

More than 42,000 new cases of liver cancer and nearly 31,000 deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Liver cancer incidence rates have tripled in America over the past four decades.

The independent