Liver function

Research overview

At a glance

• The research evidence to date indicates that moderate coffee consumption may help to reduce the risk of liver cancer, and the risk decreases as coffee consumption increases.
• Moderate coffee consumption is also linked to slower disease progression in patients with existing liver disease, including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease and Hepatitis-C*. Results of these studies, however, should be interpreted with caution due to possible flaws in their design and their small sample sizes.
• It is not yet clear whether, and to what extent, caffeine is responsible for these effects. Other mechanisms are under investigation including the potential role of both anti-carcinogenic and anti-viral components in coffee.