Study Links 5 Cups of Coffee to 47% Lower Liver Cancer Risk

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 10

354,957 UK Biobank participants tracked for 13 years showed lower risks of serious liver disease among coffee drinkers, with one to two cups a day linked to 20% lower cirrhosis risk and 31% lower liver-related mortality.
Five or more cups a day were tied to stronger effects — 32% lower cirrhosis risk, 42% lower liver-related death and 47% lower hepatocellular carcinoma risk.
Nearly 29,000 imaging records and about 50,000 blood samples suggested a possible mechanism: heavy coffee drinkers had less liver fat and iron, lower odds of fibroinflammation, and more favorable liver-related protein markers.
The apparent benefit was similar for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, though adding sugar or artificial sweeteners slightly weakened effects on liver inflammation markers.
Researchers said coffee should complement, not replace, standard prevention, and cautioned that the observational study used self-reported intake and cannot prove cause and effect.