Coffee Tied to Lower Liver Disease Risk, Sugary Drinks to Higher Liver Cancer Risk
New research links coffee to lower liver disease risk and sugary beverages to higher liver cancer risk. Two studies appear in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and JAMA Network Open.
Two new studies add to the evidence that what you drink may affect your liver health. One study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that as little as one to two cups of coffee a day may lower the risk of serious liver disease, while another, published in JAMA Network Open, linked higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to an increased risk of liver cancer.
The coffee study included more than 355,000 healthy adults who filled out dietary questionnaires and were followed for about 13 years. People who drank the most coffee — five or more cups a day — had a 32% lower risk of cirrhosis, a 47% lower risk of liver cancer and a 42% lower risk of dying from liver disease. MRI scans showed coffee drinkers also had less liver fat, inflammation and scarring, while blood tests pointed to healthier liver function.
However, researchers stressed that the findings are not a recommendation to drink five or more cups daily. Benefits actually began with one to two cups a day and appeared strongest at three to four cups daily. "Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well," said the senior author, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Both regular and decaf were linked to healthier liver outcomes, suggesting something besides caffeine may be at work. While more research is needed, the authors said coffee consumption may complement healthy habits like exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol. The next step in the research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee responsible for the protective associations.
The second study analyzed dietary data from more than 1.5 million adults across 11 long-term investigations. Participants filled out food frequency questionnaires and were followed through state cancer registries or health surveys for an average of nearly 18 years. Higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with an increased risk of two major liver cancer subtypes: hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, known as ICC. In contrast, intake of artificially sweetened beverages was not associated with liver cancer overall or with either subtype. The study does not prove that sugary drinks cause liver cancer, but the authors say the findings add to growing evidence linking sugar-sweetened beverages to adverse long-term health outcomes.