Drinking at least two cups of coffee a day may help sufferers of liver cirrhosis reduce the chance of dying by 66 per cent, according to a study on the dietary and lifestyle habits of 63,000 Chinese Singaporeans over 15 years.
However, the study found that only patients with cirrhosis that had been caused by alcohol consumption or liver disease saw a decrease in mortality risk; those who had viral hepatits-related cirrhosis did not see any significant drop is mortality risk.
“The benefit of coffee on reducing the risk of liver cirrhosis mortality may be due to the effects of chemicals in the coffee… in reducing inflammation of the liver due to alcohol or non-alcohol fatty liver disease,” explained lead researcher Associate Professor Koh Woon Puay from the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.
Media Coverage:
- The Straits Times, 9 April 2014, Wednesday
- Lianhe Zaobao, 5 April 2014, Saturday
- Lianhe Wanbao, 4 April 2014, Friday