A new review by Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics combined the results of nine different studies to evaluate the relationship between coffee and cirrhosis of the liver risk.
Cirrhosis is a condition that deteriorates the liver, and it can be fatal. Although it can be caused by immune diseases, obesity, and chronic hepatitis infections, excessive alcohol consumption is the second most common cause in the United States.
Eight of the nine studies that were reviewed showed that the risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver decreased when consuming two more cups of coffee per day.
The nine studies consisted of more than 430,000 participants. Of the studies, the longest one lasted 20 years. Consuming one cup of coffee per day was found to lower the risk of cirrhosis by 22 percent, and four cups per day was found to lower the risk by 65 percent.
Dr. Oliver Kennedy, the head of the review team, stated that there may be an upper limit of coffee where benefits to the liver cease. Dr. Kennedy also pointed out that some of the studies that were reviewed did not account for other risk factors of cirrhosis.
Of course, more research is needed to fully understand the link between coffee consumption and cirrhosis of the liver.