Decaf coffee could be key to liver health

We already know that coffee is good for more than just getting you through your morning meetings — it's been shown to kill bacteria that causes dental plaque, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, and lower suicide risk.

Until now, it's been unclear whether or not those protective benefits extended to decaffeinated brews. But new research has shown that drinking up to three cups of the good stuff — both regular and decaf — can help to protect your liver.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in the US examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which detailed the coffee-drinking rituals of almost 30,000 participants, and found that high consumption protected the liver against abnormal enzymes.

In fact, participants who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day were around 25 percent less likely to have abnormal liver enzymes, compared with those who drank none at all.

But what's interesting is that a similar level of protection was observed in those who drank decaffeinated coffee, leading researchers to believe the liver-protecting component exists in the coffee itself, not the caffeine — they just haven't been able to pinpoint it yet.

"There are more than a thousand compounds in coffee," lead researcher Qian Xiao told The New York Times. "There are a few candidates, but I don't know which is responsible.

"This is an observational study and not designed to determine cause and effect," Dr Xiao said.

"So based on this study, I wouldn't make any recommendations. But it is reassurance that coffee and decaf are not harmful to liver function."

We'll drink to that.

The findings are published in Hepatology.

Author: Kristen Amiet. Approving editor: Paul Stock.