Science NOW Daily News ran an article titled, Another Cup of Joe, Bartender, which caught my eye. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California may have discovered that coffee can protect the liver against cirrhosis. They surveyed 125,000 patients for their coffee, tea, and alcohol habits and discovered:
By 2001, 199 had come down with cirrhosis of the liver due to drinking, and 131 had cirrhosis due to other causes. When the researchers compared those who had consumed similar amounts of alcohol, they found that for each cup of coffee consumed per day, individuals were 22% less likely to be hit with alcohol-induced cirrhosis. The heaviest coffee drinkers were 80% less likely to suffer cirrhosis. In addition, boozers who drank the most coffee had significantly lower amounts of liver enzymes in their blood, suggesting something in coffee protects from liver damage.
They don’t exactly know what the ingredient is in coffee that protects the liver, but they noted that no amount of tea protected the liver -suggesting that it isn’t caffeine. Also, coffee only protected the liver against cirrhosis if the cirrhosis was due to alcohol consumption. Apparently it has no effect on hepatitis as a cause.
Coffee is probably man’s greatest achievement. Not the wheel, or fire, or bronze, or iron…
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