Coffee
consumption reduces mortality risk from liver cirrhosis
New research
reveals that consuming two or more cups of coffee each day reduces the risk of
death from liver cirrhosis by 66%, specifically cirrhosis caused by non-viral
hepatitis.
Findings in Hepatology,
a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the
Study of Liver Diseases, show that tea, fruit juice, and soft drink consumption
are not linked to cirrhosis mortality risk. As with previous studies heavy
alcohol use was found to increase risk of death from cirrhosis.
A 2004 report from The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year
1.3% of total death worldwide is caused by liver cirrhosis. Previous research
shows that 29 million Europeans have chronic liver disease, with 17,000 deaths
annually attributed to cirrhosis. Further WHO reports state that liver
cirrhosis is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.
This prospective
population-based study, known as The Singapore Chinese Health Study, recruited
63,275 Chinese subjects between the ages of 45 and 74 living in Singapore.
Participants provided information on diet, lifestyle choices, and medical
history during in-person interviews conducted between 1993 and 1998. Patients
were followed for an average of nearly 15 years, during which time there were
14,928 deaths (24%); 114 of them died from liver cirrhosis. The mean age of
death was 67 years.
Findings indicate that
those who drank at least 20 g of ethanol daily had a greater risk of cirrhosis
mortality compared to non-drinker. In contrast, coffee intake was associated
with a lower risk of death from cirrhosis, specifically for non-viral hepatitis
related cirrhosis.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic liver
disease related to the metabolic syndrome and more sedentary affluent
lifestyle, likely predominates among the non-viral hepatitis related cirrhosis
group. In fact, subjects who drank two or more cups per day had a 66% reduction
in mortality risk, compared to non-daily coffee drinkers. However, coffee
intake was not associated with viral hepatitis B related cirrhosis mortality.
"Our study is the
first to demonstrate a difference between the effects of coffee on non-viral
and viral hepatitis related cirrhosis mortality," concludes Dr. Koh.
"This finding resolves the seemingly conflicting results on the effect of
coffee in Western and Asian-based studies of death from liver cirrhosis.
Our
finding suggests that while the benefit of coffee may be less apparent in the
Asian population where chronic viral hepatitis B predominates currently, this
is expected to change as the incidence of non-viral hepatitis related cirrhosis
is expected to increase in these regions, accompanying the increasing affluence
and westernizing lifestyles amongst their younger populations."
Story Source:
The above story is
based on materials provided by Wiley. Note: Materials may be edited for
content and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.
George Boon-Bee Goh,
Wan-Cheng Chow, Renwei Wang, Jian-Min Yuan, Woon-Puay Koh. Coffee, alcohol and other
beverages in relation to cirrhosis mortality: the Singapore Chinese Health
Study. Hepatology,
2014; DOI:10.1002/hep.27054
Cite This Page:
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APA
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Chicago
Wiley. "Coffee consumption
reduces mortality risk from liver cirrhosis." Science Daily, 2 April 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140402095656.htm>.