In the past, the most common relationship between coffee intake and liver health had to do with the beverage’s role in hangover recovery. That was then, this is now.
In recent years, even the most conservative, peer-reviewed medical journals have concluded that coffee confers a number of benefits pertaining to chronic liver diseases.
The November-December 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology reports that coffee: “has been inversely associated with activity of liver enzymes in subjects at risk, including heavy drinkers”; “favors an improvement in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, and a reduction in cirrhosis and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma”; “promotes antioxidant capacity through an increase in glutathione as well as modulation of the gene and protein expression of several inflammatory mediators” and much, much more.
The research summarized in the previously mentioned review has been strengthened by subsequent publications in the medical literature. Additionally, there’s emerging evidence that coffee could play a vital role in protecting against NAFLD aka nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
NAFLD affects roughly half of those diagnosed with adult onset diabetes and nearly as many type 1 diabetics. As its name implies, NAFLD is characterized by a build up of fat in the liver.
As the disease progresses, it causes inflammation and scarring which, if not properly addressed, can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Thankfully, three trials published in 2014 and 2015 offer hope to all those who are at risk for diabetes and related conditions.
