{"id":538109,"date":"2026-07-07T21:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/538109\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T21:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:23:13","slug":"coffee-5-cups-a-day-may-lower-your-liver-disease-cancer-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/538109\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee: 5 Cups a Day May Lower Your Liver Disease, Cancer Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"OlderShare on Pinterest<\/a>Recent research has found that drinking coffee may help reduce your risk of liver disease and cancer. Image Credit: GNDphotography\/GettyA recent study has shown that drinking coffee may help reduce your risk of liver disease and cancer. The researchers found that the more coffee you drink, the greater the potential protective effects. Using sugars or sweeteners in your coffee can slightly reduce the protective effects. It is still important to limit your intake of sugar, sweeteners, and highly processed coffee creamers. <\/p>\n

Your morning cup of coffee may be doing more than boosting your energy. New research suggests it might also help lower your risk of liver disease and liver cancer. <\/p>\n

Participants who drank five or more cups of coffee a day generally saw the greatest liver health benefits, including the largest reduction in liver cancer risk, though adding sugar or other sweeteners may slightly reduce those benefits. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe results from this study are not surprising since we have prior research<\/a> suggesting coffee\u2019s positive role in liver and cardiometabolic health,\u201d said Michelle Routhenstein<\/a>, preventive cardiology dietitian at Entirely Nourished. Routhenstein wasn\u2019t involved in the study. <\/p>\n

However, the findings show an association rather than proving that coffee directly prevents liver disease and cancer. <\/p>\n

The study analyzed 354,957 participants ranging in age from 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank<\/a> who had no baseline cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Researchers tracked cases of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver-related deaths among participants.<\/p>\n

Cirrhosis<\/a> is a condition in which the liver is permanently damaged or scarred. The scar tissue replaces healthy tissue, causing the liver to not function properly. An estimated 1 in 400<\/a> adults in the United States has cirrhosis. <\/p>\n

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)<\/a> is a primary tumor of the liver. It occurs in around 85%<\/a> of people with cirrhosis. HCC is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death, after lung cancer, in males. <\/p>\n

The study found that the potential protective effect of coffee appeared to increase the more the participant drank: <\/p>\n

1 to 2 cups daily was associated with:20% lower risk of cirrhosis24% lower risk of liver cancer31% lower risk of liver-related death3 to 4 cups daily was associated with:35% lower risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer41% lower risk of liver-related death5 cups or more daily was associated with:32% lower risk of cirrhosis47% lower risk of liver cancer42% lower risk of liver-related death<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most exciting aspects of this study is that we were able to connect epidemiologic observations with objective biological evidence,\u201d Hyunseok Kim<\/a>, MD, transplant hepatologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, first author of the study, told Healthline. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe found consistent associations across clinical outcomes, MRI-based liver imaging, and proteomic biomarkers, which strengthens confidence that coffee is linked to healthier liver biology rather than simply healthier lifestyle habits,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Routhenstein noted that an interesting finding in this study was that these liver benefits were observed in both decaf and caffeinated coffee, suggesting that polyphenols<\/a> and antioxidants<\/a> are likely playing a role, rather than caffeine alone.<\/p>\n

The researchers\u2019 next goal is to identify the specific compounds and biological pathways responsible for these associations and ultimately determine whether these findings can be translated into more personalized strategies for liver disease prevention.<\/p>\n

Kim told Healthline that it\u2019s important to remember that coffee should complement, not replace, other healthy habits. <\/p>\n

Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, limiting excessive alcohol, and controlling diabetes and cholesterol remain the cornerstones of liver disease prevention.<\/p>\n

However, you can still enjoy your daily coffee and reap its benefits. <\/p>\n

Routhenstein said that she suggests sticking to 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you enjoy coffee black, that is the [best] way to reap the benefits. Try to limit added sugars, flavored syrups, whipped cream, and highly processed creamers, which can contribute to excess calories, blood sugar spikes, and inflammation, and negate [coffee\u2019s] proactive liver and heart benefits,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Routhenstein also recommends drinking caffeinated coffee earlier in the day so it doesn\u2019t interfere with your sleep. <\/p>\n

\u201cSleep plays an important role in metabolic, cardiovascular, and liver health, and disruptions in sleep can affect blood sugar regulation, blood pressure, and inflammation, leading to stress on the liver and cardiometabolic system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim also noted that people respond differently to caffeine. <\/p>\n

\u201cHigher coffee intake may not be appropriate for individuals with uncontrolled hypertension<\/a>, certain heart rhythm disorders, severe anxiety<\/a>, insomnia<\/a>, pregnancy, or significant caffeine sensitivity<\/a>. The optimal amount of coffee should be individualized based on a person\u2019s overall health and tolerance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestRecent research has found that drinking coffee may help reduce your risk of liver disease and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60],"class_list":["post-538109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}