After examining data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which had been conducted by the CDC, researchers from the National Cancer Institute have found that drinking up to three cups of coffee each day immensely boosts one's liver health.
The said data is gathered from 27,800 participants who are 20 years old and above. Aside from answering their survey questionnaires, each of the participants reported of their coffee intake within a 24-hour period.
The research team monitored each of the participants' liver enzyme levels and their blood samples.
It was then found that those who drank about 3 cups of coffee each day had lower liver enzyme levels and had healthier blood samples compared to those who drink less coffee.
Because both regular and decaf coffee render the same effect, the researchers have ruled out caffeine as the chemical that brings about this benefit. However, after looking deeper into data from the survey and from reports by the participants and other supporting information, the researchers have found liver benefits that are attributed to caffeine.
For instance, paraxanthine, the psychoactive central nervous system stimulant, that is a derivative of caffeine that is produced by the body shortly after coffee is consumed has been found to slow down the formation of abnormal connective tissue in the liver that causes fibrosis.
Thus, a regular yet moderate consumption of regular coffee will be helpful to those who have been diagnosed, are at risk or are recovering from liver fibrosis and liver cancer.
Aside from these conditions, the progression of hepatitis C, alcoholic liver cirrhosis and chronic liver disease have also been found to benefit from moderate coffee intake.
On top of its recently found benefits for optimum liver health, coffee has also been found in previous studies to be helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
