Coffee may protect from liver damage

Coffee and other caffeinated beverages may provide some protection from liver damage in people at risk for liver disease, according to research presented at the Digestive Disease Week. The researchers from the National Institutes of Health, USA, assessed the association between caffeinated beverage consumption and liver disease. Among people at risk for liver disease due to excessive alcohol use or other factors, drinking more than two cups of coffee per day seemed to protect against liver damage. Compared with people who didn't drink coffee, those who did were 44-percent less likely to show evidence of liver damage. The risk reduction seen with consumption of any caffeinated beverage was even higher, at 69 percent. These findings are not sufficient for making recommendations regarding caffeine intake, especially since caffeine may have other deleterious effects, but they would stimulate further research. As to how caffeine protects the liver, the researchers said that previous research has shown that one of caffeine's primary effects is blocking cell structures called adenosine receptors. The early effect of this blockade is stimulation of the immune system that could protect the liver.