F355

There have been several long-term studies on the effects of coffee on the development of liver disease/cirrhosis, and there appears to be a strong negative correlation between heavy coffee consumption and the development of alcoholic cirrhosis:


[it's not allowing me to post a link, so just google 'coffee / cirrhosis']

I'd be interested to know if anyone here has ever discussed this with an actual hepatologist? If so, what have you heard from them about the use of coffee to modulate one's risk of developing alcoholic cirrhosis?

Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated.

Hudstar

I accept that I'm an alcoholic and therefore can't drink alcohol. But dear God, not coffee too!!!

doggonecarl

Not as strong as the correlation between alcohol consumption and the development of alcoholic cirrhosis!

F355

As the author of one of the studies has said, quitting drinking alcohol is the best way to avoid liver disease/cirrhosis. But isn't the implication of their research that by drinking four cups or more of coffee every day, a person can expect to lower their risk of developing cirrhosis from heavy drinking from 1/10 to 1/50?

I'm not trying to rationalize my addiction. There are hundreds of reasons to quit drinking, and I happen to really want to quit. Still, I think it's pretty remarkable that coffee appears to have this effect.

switchboard

I have heard that 4-6 cups of coffee a day has a positive effect on liver health, and that it doesn't matter if it's instant coffee or brewed. I don't remember if there was a "why". I drink about 4 cups.

awuh1

This could be off topic but there is also evidence that coffee also has a negative effect on the development of Parkinson’s disease. Most people with Parkinson’s don’t LIKE coffee.

F355

That IS very, very interesting, awuh. I, myself, being a heavy coffee drinker, have often wondered about other alcoholics' use of coffee. Obviously, both are highly addictive substances; in my case, there's no question about it, I'm much more hooked on caffeine than alcohol. But that isn't to say that I'm not pretty heavily addicted to alcohol, too.

Soberween

Yea, I was confused by the first few posts. I've always heard and read that coffee helps fight liver cancer. I remember when I read that I had to read it over a few times to make sure I was reading it correctly.

Kellye C

Hmmm, I find this very interesting and rather amusing considering that every AA meeting I have been to people seem to drink TONS of coffee. Could be doubly therapeutic in a way, coffee AND recovery.

Kellye

neferkamichael

I'm in deep sh*t if coffee causes cirrohsis. By the way, is there a 12-step program to help quit? Maybe there's a Coffee Drinkers Anonymous or something

Tigger41

I've posted this before and I will again. They will have to pry my coffee cup from my cold, dead hand. Never mind. Just bury me with it

Dee74

I did the Google search - all I found was a load of citations on the *benefits* of drinking
coffee against cirrhosis?

D

SSIL75

I think that's what the OP says. A negative correlation (aka 'inverse correlation') right? So that more coffee = less cirrhosis.

SSIL75

Ha it's funny as a drinker I was also so blase that I could 'take or leave' sweets and coffee. That is so ridiculous to me now

Dee74

ok, maybe I need more coffee lol

The OP's post makes sense now. Sorry F355.

Personally, I wouldn't want anyone to read this and put too much store on the mitigating or curative properties of coffee if one was still drinking - I think the very best thing for liver health/renewal is abstinence.

D

DrivenHeart85

Tigger41 that was hilarious. lol I used to drink heavy at night and depend on what I now call "coffee sludge" the next day to keep me alert. It was like 3 times the amount of ground coffee beans you were supposed to use...it tasted like dirt and made my stomach burn. lol There are probably tons of other foods that do a better job than coffee at liver repair...like vegetables and fruits to name a few. LOL

eJoshua

Yes, negative correlation would be more coffee = less cirrhosis and vice versa.

I've heard this too, and drank a lot of coffee when I was drinking hoping that it would stave off liver damage. Really, the best way to a healthy life is to stop negative addictive habits period.

Every time I hear about one of these studies I remember one of my professors -- I think it was in Psychology -- hammering into our heads that correlation does not equal causation. I think in the studies I've heard of they weren't quit sure why the coffee had a positive effect on liver health and also they discovered that it wasn't solely because of the caffeine because they didn't notice a similar trend with tea drinkers.

I also remember hearing that coffee was good for colon health, but you'd have to drink something like 40 cups a day to reap any of the benefits.

ReadyAndAble

It's true: coffee seems to be terrific for the liver. And the effect appears to be cumulative—the more you drink, the more it helps your liver. Actually the evidence has been piling up for years that coffee is beneficial in many ways.

However, coffee does nothing to prevent alcohol from destroying your relationships, career, finances, and reputation. Neither does it mitigate the increased risk of numerous other cancers linked to alcohol.

The only thing that reduces all those risks is sobriety.

TruthFreak

This makes sense to me, as it seems coffee can help flush your system rapidly on a morning after heavy drinking. Just don't let yourself become too dehydrated. I'm not scientist, but this makes sense to me in a way. Also I think there are other health issues involved with coffee, like its effects on your bowels.

UofI2008

Meh, even if this is true it is FACT that mormons have longer life expectancies than the average person. They don't drink alcohol OR caffeine.

Life expectancy of Mormons exceeds general population | Deseret News

10 years longer on average for men and 5 years longer for women.