Coffee ‘can help protect against liver cancer’

A new study has shown how drinking coffee can help reduce a person's risk of developing the most common form of primary liver cancer.

The research from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Southampton examined data from 26 studies involving more than two million participants to assess the impact of coffee drinking on hepatocellular carcinoma rates.

It was found that this form of liver cancer affected around 50 people in every 1,000 of those included in the study, but that this fell to 33 per 1,000 among those who regularly drank coffee – a 40 percent drop. 

The protection was found to be the same for both existing coffee drinkers and those who did not usually drink it, with the protective benefit increasing as coffee intake rose. Even decaffeinated coffee was found to be beneficial.

According to the researchers, this adds to the body of evidence suggesting coffee can be an effective natural medicine, when consumed in moderation.

Professor Peter Hayes, head of the division of health sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: "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."

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