Drinking FIVE cups of coffee a day reduces your risk of developing liver cancer by up to 50%

Drinking more coffee may help stave off liver cancer, a new study suggests. According to Daily mail

Researchers have found people who drink just one cup of coffee a day are 20 per cent less likely to develop the most common form of the disease.

Drinking two cups of coffee a day lowers your risk by 35 per cent, while five cups cuts your risk of developing liver cancer in half, the study found.

Even decaffeinated coffee can have a protective effect, the research adds.

Lead researcher Dr Oliver Kennedy, said: ‘Coffee is widely believed to possess a range of health benefits and these latest findings suggest it could have a significant effect on liver cancer risk.

Researchers examined data from 26 studies involving more than 2.25 million participants.

Compared with people who drank no coffee, those who drank one cup had a 20 per cent lower risk of developing the most common form of primary liver cancer, known as hepatocellular carcinoma, they found.

Results, also found that those who drank two cups had a 35 per cent reduced risk of suffering the disease, while drinking five cups cut their risk in half.

An effect was observed for decaf, however, this was ‘smaller and less certain than for caffeinated coffee’.  

The researchers did not speculate as to why coffee has a liver cancer-protective effectThe authors wrote: ‘It may be important for developing coffee as a lifestyle intervention in CLD (chronic liver disease), as decaffeinated coffee might be more acceptable to those who do not drink coffee or who limit their coffee consumption because of caffeine-related symptoms.’

Lead researcher Dr Oliver Kennedy, said: ‘Coffee is widely believed to possess a range of health benefits and these latest findings suggest it could have a significant effect on liver cancer risk.

‘We’re not suggesting that everyone should start drinking five cups of coffee a day though. There needs to be more investigation into the potential harms of high coffee-caffeine intake and there is evidence it should be avoided in certain groups such as pregnant women.

‘Nevertheless, our findings are an important development given the increasing evidence of HCC globally and its poor prognosis.’

Professor Peter Hayes, added: ‘We have shown that coffee reduces cirrhosis and also liver cancer in a dose-dependent manner.

‘Coffee has also been reported to reduce the risk of death from many other causes.

‘Our research adds to the evidence that, in moderation, coffee can be a wonderful natural medicine.’

‘It’s therefore really important to reduce your risks of developing liver cancer and liver disease – not just by drinking coffee, but by keeping to a healthy weight by exercising and eating well, and by avoiding the risks for viral hepatitis.’

N.H.Kh