Coffee is almost everyone’s go-to drink to recharge and have that extra jolt of energy to push themselves through the day at work. The good news is that coffee could also be beneficial for your liver to carry out its daily functions, especially detoxification. Multiple observational studies have indicated the same and more research is underway to establish this healthy link between coffee and liver. According to some reports, having two to three cups of black coffee every day helps reduce the risk and delay the onset of liver complications.
Benefits of coffee for liver
Dr Sujoy Maitra, consultant gastroenterologist, Manipal Hospitals, Kolkata points out that when we talk about coffee, we are talking about caffeine, the major ingredient in coffee. “Caffeine is a strong neuro stimulating agent, which helps stimulate or modulate various neurological and hormonal functions,” says Dr Banik.
Dr Krishanu Banik, gastroenterology and hepatobiliary sciences, Fortis Anandapur, Kolkata explains that coffee consumption might have a complimentary role in offering protection additional protection to your liver and reducing the risk of of cirrhosis, prevention of NAFLD, certain GI cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatitis C liver disease.
Can coffee reduce the risk for liver diseases?
Dr Maitra explains that consumption of coffee could reduce the risk of fibrosis in patients with fatty liver disease and the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. He adds that people who drink coffee could have a lesser chance of developing hepatocellular carcinoma than those who don’t.
Some studies also indicate that in chronic liver disease patients who consume coffee, there is a decreased risk of progression to cirrhosis and a lowered mortality rate.
“The complete mechanism of how exactly it prevents liver diseases is not known so far,” says Dr Banik. High insulin increases the risk of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. But he adds that we do know that coffee decreases insulin resistance, thus reducing the risks of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. By decreasing insulin resistance, caffeine also helps reduce the fat deposition in the liver, prevents oxidative stress on the liver and prevents damage of liver cells.
“Various studies show that coffee improves liver fibrosis. Consuming coffee shows some improvement in liver diseases, but we cannot come to the conclusion that it can completely reverse conditions like fatty liver or cirrhosis,” says Dr Manish Kak, consultant gastroenterology, Manipal Hospital, Ghaziabad.
Is excess coffee bad for the liver?
“The blacker the coffee is, with less sugar and less milk, the better it is,” says Dr Kak.
Dr Banik says, “Everything has a permitted dose.” He adds that 400 mg per day is the maximum coffee one can consume. According to Dr Banik, one cup of coffee gives about 140 mg of caffeine (the active ingredient of coffee).
According to experts, three to four cups of coffee is the maximum recommended quantity. “Coffee is a stimulant,” says Dr Maitra. He adds that it increases your appetite and keeps you up. Dr Kak says that excess caffeine can cause dizziness.
“The hormonal environment is disturbed because of coffee. In excess, it may ultimately jeopardise the liver,” says Dr Maitra.
More controlled trials and studies required, say experts
Dr Banik adds that there is no strong evidence on the effects of coffee on the liver, but these findings come from large observational studies. According to Dr Maitra, there is no hard evidence that coffee has a role to play in benefitting or damaging the liver. He adds that one cannot control the other factors related to liver diseases in an observational study. So, controlled studies that give a hard conclusion on the effects of coffee on the liver are to be conducted on the effect of coffee on liver health.
Healthy lifestyle and diet important for liver health
Dr Kak adds that people with any kind of liver conditions should also follow their doctor’s instructions like opting for a healthier lifestyle and diet. He adds that coffee has a complementary role to play in improving your liver health.
“If a person only consumes coffee and does not take other preventive measures, it will not work,” says Dr Kak.
Takeaways
Coffee reduces the fat deposition in the liver. It could play a complementary role in protecting the liver from complications. It is also shown to have helped treat existing liver conditions like HCC, NAFLD. The recommended amount of coffee is three to four cups a day. Coffee should only be used as a supplement and not the only factor to treat liver complications.
