354,957 U.K. Biobank participants showed a graded drop in liver risks with higher coffee intake over a median 13-year follow-up, according to a July 1 study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
At at least five cups a day, hazard ratios fell to 0.68 for cirrhosis, 0.53 for hepatocellular carcinoma and 0.58 for liver-related mortality versus lower intake.
28,961 participants who underwent MRI also showed correlations between higher coffee intake and lower hepatic fat, iron and fibroinflammation.
Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee showed similar protective associations, and the pattern persisted among people adding sugar or artificial sweeteners, though additive use correlated with modestly higher iron-corrected T1.
Proteomic analysis linked coffee drinking to higher hepatocellular synthesis and complement proteins and lower fibrogenic and macrophage-activation markers, pointing to inflammation and scarring pathways for future research.