| Coffee may reduce alcohol's effects on the liver |
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As Reported in: Men's Health Advisor, Sept, 2006 Your morning coffee may do more than help you recover from a night of heavy drinking. A recent study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that coffee consumption may counteract alcohol's harmful effects on the liver and help protect against alcoholic cirrhosis. Researchers studied 125,580 men and women--including occasional and heavy drinkers--for an average of 14 years and found 330 had developed liver cirrhosis, 199 from alcohol consumption. For each cup of coffee they drank each day, the participants reduced their risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 22 percent, according to the study. Overall, coffee drinkers, most notably heavy drinkers, also scored better on liver-function tests, as measured by levels of two liver enzymes. The researchers found no significant relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis. The researchers cautioned that the best way to avoid liver cirrhosis is to limit your alcohol intake. Most experts recommend consumption of no more than 1 to 2 drinks per day.COPYRIGHT 2006 Belvoir Media Group, LLC
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