Health Myths And Facts: More Than 2 Cups Of Black Coffee Per Day Is Good For Liver. See What Experts Say

With pre-existing liver illness, people who drink more than 2 cups of coffee per day have lower rates of fibrosis, cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, as well as reduced mortality rates. 

New Delhi: Black coffee in amounts of two to three cups can lower the risk of liver disease as it is an abundant source of antioxidants. Many ingredients present in coffee are beneficial to the liver. With pre-existing liver illness, individuals who drink more than two cups of coffee per day have lower rates of fibrosis and cirrhosis, lower rates of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), the most common kind of liver cancer, as well as reduced mortality rates. 

Now, to know how this works and what are the other benefits of coffee, ABP Live sought the opinion of experts who explained how black coffee is good for our liver and also debunked some myths around coffee.

Black Coffee Is Good For the Liver:

Recently, famous hepatologist by the name 'The LiveDoc' on Twitter, said on the microblogging platform, "Minimum 3 cups black coffee without milk and sugar. Get used to it, because your liver will thank you for it. Ditch alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages and that tasteless green tea. Do not even think about honey and lemon water. They are just background noise. Coffee is real."

In addition to that, in another post he had also shared some more reasons "to enjoy coffee".

He told that drinking coffee does not increase our blood pressure and does not increase the risk of, or worsen 'gastritis,' or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) symptoms.

"In fact, habitual (or regular) moderate consumption of black coffee (3-5 cups a day) without sugar or milk reduces blood pressure, heart related adverse events, all-cause death, fatty liver, progression of fatty liver disease, lessons liver fibrosis in those with non-alcoholic fatty liver, and is modestly associated with lowering of body fat.", he said.

In addition to him, Dr Dipak Ahire who is a consultant gastroenterologist, hepatologist & endoscopist at Medicover Hospitals, Navi Mumbai also spoke about the numerous benefits on liver by drinking coffee. Telling that coffee has hepatoprotective properties (liver protective), he also said that the recommendation is 3-4 black coffee per day without adding sugar, milk, or jaggery (not made as espresso).

How Does Coffee Benefit Liver: 

Coffee possesses anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties that can contribute to liver health. In addition to that, it has properties that also help to prevent cholesterols and decreases gallstone formation. 

In this regard, Dr Dipak said, "Coffee reduces the advancement of fibrotic diseases like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), stiffness, and frequency of fibrosis. Numerous studies show that black coffee consumption decreases the level of SGPT, SGOT, GGTP, and ALP level of liver function tests and it also slows down condition like fibrosis, early cirrhosis and Hepatitis B, C."

So, those individuals who have some preexisting liver disease can really benefit from the consumption of more than 2 cups of black coffee per day.

The Mechanism Behind Coffee's Liver Friendliness:

According to Nutrition and lifestyle coach Anupama Menon, "The activation of liver detoxifying enzymes by coffee has been observed in certain studies. Furthermore, coffee-derived polyphenols have been associated with the regulation of liver enzymes, which can lead to a reduction in liver scarring."

"Interestingly, some research even suggests a possible link between higher coffee intake and lower alcohol consumption, showcasing a correlation.", she further went on to say.

The health benefits of drinking coffee appeared to plateau around four cups of coffee a day and are most pronounced in people who drink ground coffee than those who drink instant coffee. Let's have a look at how this works. 

Dietician Umang discussed the mechanisms behind coffee’s liver friendliness and how does it help to prevent fibrosis.

• When coffee is digested, one of the end products created is paraxanthine. This suppresses the connective tissue growth factor, which leads to slow growth of connective tissue. In the liver, this helps slow down the growth of scar tissue which is associated with fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.


• Kahweol and cafestol are 2 chemicals found in coffee. These have been known to delay the growth or multiplication of cancer cells, which effectively fight several cancers including that of the liver.


• Some of the acids present in coffee may successfully fight the virus that causes hepatitis C, a risk factor for liver disease.

Additionally, he also warned, "Some people are sensitive to coffee. Drinking it in excess causes headaches, irritations in the stomach, digestion issues, overall irritability, and lack of sleep. Such people should not use coffee as a cure for their liver conditions. The risk outweighs the benefits."

SOME HEALTH MYTHS RELATED TO COFFEE:

Myth 1: Pregnant women should refrain from consuming coffee.

Dietician Garima Goyal debunked the myth saying that those claiming to refrain coffee consumption blame it on its caffeine content which is a natural stimulant in coffee giving an energy boost on consumption and also making a person alert. But the complete restriction of coffee is not true for pregnant ladies, rather they can consume caffeine in limited amounts.

Speaking of how much coffee is allowed for a preganant woman, Garima explained, "They can have 1-2 cups of coffee per day, consuming a total of 200mg caffeine on a daily basis. Even having decaf coffees while being pregnant is a great strategy."

She further went on to explain why caffeine consumption is a concern for preganant ladies and said, "Caffeine consumption is a concern for pregnant ladies as they metabolise caffeine slowly, 1.5-3.5 times slower than other individuals. Caffeine also easily crosses the placental barrier and there are concerns of miscarriages and preterm births with the caffeine reaching the foetus."

More research is needed to link excess coffee consumption with miscarriages, low birth weight babies and other feral abnormalities. But so far the data collected points towards no harm of moderate coffee consumption on daily basis, but avoiding excess intake.

Myth 2: Coffee aids in weight loss and fat loss too. 

Garima went on to debunk this myth as well and said, "Though short term consumption of coffee raises metabolic rate and body’s faster metabolism aids in weight loss, but this rise in the BMR is only slight of 3-11 percent and not that considerable as other metabolism boosting factors such as muscle training, exercise etc."

"Some even say coffee keeps a person full due to its high satiety index and avoids hunger pangs, thus facilitating weight loss. But even for this, coffee works differently for different people and not everyone feels the same.", she further added.