foodconsumer.org: Coffee health news: Caffeine drinking linked to less severe liver fibrosis

Coffee health news: Caffeine drinking linked to less severe liver fibrosis
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admin on 01/09/2010 01:33:00
 
By David Liu
A new study in the January 2010 issue of Hepatology suggests that drinking
coffee may help prevent hepatitis C induced liver fibrosis.
Among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus, those who consumed 308 mg of
caffeine daily had milder liver fibrosis compared to those having low intake of
the stimulant, U.S. government researchers found.
Apurva A Modi and colleagues of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases found the effective daily dose of caffeine was equivalent to
2.25 cups of regular coffee, according to a press release by Wiley-Blackwell
which published the study.
Interestingly, other sources of caffeine like tea were not found to have the
preventative/therapeutic effect against liver fibrosis.
Early studies have associated coffee consumption with lower risk of chronic
liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), and death from cirrhosis
complications.
The researchers examined data on consumption of caffeine-laced beverages and
liver health statuses from 177 patients who were undergoing liver biopsy at a
mean age of 51 years and with mean body mass index of 27.5.
Daily intake of caffeine ranged from zero to 1028 mg which is equivalent to 1.4
cups of coffee daily.
Those who consumed an average 212 mg of caffeine per day had less severe liver
fibrosis compared to those who had daily intake of 154 on average, the
researchers found.
Modi et al. found for each 67 mg increase in caffeine consumption or half a cup
of coffee, the odds of advanced fibrosis decreased by 14 percent in the patients
with chronic hepatitis C.
"Our data suggest that a beneficial effect requires caffeine consumption above a
threshold of approximately 2 coffee-cup equivalents daily," noted Dr. Modi.
On the other hand, consumption of caffeinated soda, green or black tea was not
found associated with reduced liver fibrosis.
But Modi et al. warned that these beverages were far less popular with the
participants and the data were not sufficient to allow them to make a firm
conclusion.
It has recently reported that coffee offers a range of health benefits including
prevention of aggressive prostate cancer, liver cancer and diabetes.
Other beverages such as tea and cocoa have also been found to provide a variety
of health benefits. Green tea is known for its anticancer properties and it can
promote death of cancer cells among other things.