13-Year Study Gives More Good News to the Livers of Coffee Drinkers

A major new study involving more than 350,000 participants over 13 years adds fresh evidence linking coffee consumption to better liver health.

The study, led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University in Los Angeles and published July 1 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, analyzed data from 354,957 UK Biobank participants who had no cirrhosis or liver cancer at enrollment and were tracked for a median of 13 years.

Compared with non-coffee drinkers, participants drinking five or more cups per day had a 32% lower risk of developing cirrhosis, a 47% lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a common form of liver cancer, and a 42% lower risk of dying from liver disease.

Benefits appeared at lower intake levels too. The researchers noted associations starting at one to two cups per day, with the strongest associations appearing around three to four cups.

“Previous studies suggested that coffee might benefit the liver, but most were smaller or looked at only one piece of the puzzle,” Hyunseok Kim, assistant professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study, said in an announcement from the university. “We followed hundreds of thousands of people for more than a decade and looked at their health outcomes along with liver MRI scans and blood protein analyses. Together, those findings help explain the biological mechanisms behind coffee’s association with better liver health.”

Caffeine, Sweeteners and Lifestyles

MRI scans in a subgroup of 28,961 participants showed that heavier coffee drinkers had lower levels of liver fat, iron, fibrosis and inflammation on imaging. Blood protein analysis involving 44,633 participants showed higher levels of proteins associated with healthy liver function and lower levels associated with scarring and inflammation.

Similar protective associations appeared for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, a finding that points away from caffeine as the sole driver.

One finding warranted caution: Participants who added sugar or artificial sweeteners to coffee had higher odds of elevated iron-corrected T1, an MRI marker of liver inflammation and fibrosis. The study cannot establish whether those additives directly caused the effect or whether the finding reflects other factors.

Despite the largely good news for coffee drinkers, the research team stopped short of recommending non-drinkers pick up a coffee habit for the perceived health benefits. As an observational study, the research cannot prove that coffee itself prevents liver disease. 

“Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well,” said senior author Ju Dong Yang, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai. “However, we would not recommend that someone begin drinking coffee solely for liver protection based on this study alone. Prevention should continue to focus on maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, exercising regularly, and managing blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.”

More Good News

The findings are generally consistent with prior UK Biobank research covered by Daily Coffee News. A 2021 study involving nearly half a million UK Biobank participants found that coffee drinkers had a 21% lower risk of chronic liver disease and a 49% lower risk of death from chronic liver disease, with peak risk reduction around three to four cups per day.

Other large cohort studies, including UK Biobank studies, have linked coffee consumption to better heart health, reduced mortality and reduced incidence of certain cancers, including prostate, uterine, colon, head and neck, and lung cancers.  

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