My Headlines

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

COFFEE to keep liver disease away

Sufferers of chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drank 3 or more cups of coffee per day slashed their risk of the disease progressing by 53% compared to patients who drank no coffee, the study led by Neal Freedman of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) showed.

For the study,766 participants enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis trial - all of whom had hepatitis C which had not responded to treatment with anti-viral drugs- were asked to report how many cups of coffee they drank every day.

The patients who drank 3 or more cups of java were less likely to see their liver disease worsen than non-drinkers, wrote the authors of the study. The researchers put forward several ways in which coffee intake might protect against liver disease, including by reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, which has been associated with liver illness; or by reducing inflammation , which is thought to cause fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver.

No comments: