Drinking four cups of coffee a day is enough to prevent deadly liver disease, new research implies.
Protection against the destruction of the vital organ may also be found in just one cup of herbal teas.
Both beverages help stop the scarring of the liver that causes cirrhosis – which can be fatal, Dutch scientists claim.
Due to the cheap drinks’ popularity across the world, experts say they have the potential to become important in preventing liver disease.
The exact mechanism is unknown, but it is thought that anti-oxidant compounds in both ooze into the bloodstream – reaching the liver.
Dutch research implies drinking four cups of coffee a day is enough to prevent liver disease
Cirrhosis is caused by long-term damage to the liver. It is often seen in the final stages of various liver diseases.
Such conditions, of which there are more than 200, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis, rank as the 12th leading cause of death worldwide.
Many of these disorders are associated with unhealthy lifestyles, and many patients are often urged to adopt healthier diets to prevent the damage.
How was the study carried out?
Researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands gathered data on 2,424 participants for the study.
Lead author Dr Sarwa Darwish Murad said: ‘Beyond the liver, coffee has been demonstrated to be inversely associated with overall mortality in the general population.
‘We were curious to find out whether coffee consumption would have a similar effect on liver stiffness measurements in individuals without chronic liver disease.’
Due to the cheap drinks’ popularity across the world, experts say they have the potential to become important in preventing liver disease (stock)
All of the volunteers had blood samples taken and underwent liver imaging procedures to assess their organ.
In addition, they completed a questionnaire about how often they ate certain foods, including coffee and tea.
Coffee consumption was divided into three categories: none, moderate (zero to three cups) and frequent (more than three).
Tea consumption was categorised by herbal, green, or black varieties and further into none or any consumption.
What did they find?
The researchers found that frequent coffee consumption was significantly linked to lower odds of liver stiffness – of which a high rating is deemed to signal scarring.
When they looked at the entire range of results, they found the same effects for any herbal tea consumption.
In patients with non-alcohol fatty liver disease, drinking coffee appeared to have a benefit by lowering the organ’s stiffness.
But before regular coffee breaks should be added to daily life, more studies are needed to be done, the researchers added in the Journal of Hepatology.
It’s safe to drink 4 cups a day
The findings come after scientists found drinking four cups of coffee each day won’t damage someone’s health.
International Life Sciences Institute researchers reviewed more than 740 studies into the effects of caffeine on humans.
They found consuming 400mg – the equivalent of four cups – was safe for adults, an amount that has long been deemed the limit.
So long as this quantity isn’t regularly breached, there is no need to worry about consumption, the researchers said.