Coffee as a liver protectant?

[BrooklynBB]

**broken link removed**

Wash down your orals with some Sanka. LOL.

"CHICAGO (AP) - Coffee may counteract alcohol's poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis, researchers say.

In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 percent. The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.

It is unclear whether it is the caffeine or some other ingredient in coffee that provides the protection, said study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

Of course, there is a better way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Klatsky said.

"The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking" of alcohol, he said.

The participants ranged from teetotalers, who made up 12 percent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 percent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.

Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ's ability to filter toxins from the blood. Klatsky said the new findings may help explain why some people's livers survive heavy alcohol use.

Hepatitis C and some inherited diseases can also cause cirrhosis. But the study found coffee did not protect the liver against those other causes of scarring.

The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Coffee's effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.

Cirrhosis from all causes kills more than 27,000 Americans a year and sends nearly 400,000 to the hospital.

The findings, published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer.

The data came from members of a Northern California health plan. Their coffee consumption was noted only at the beginning of the study, which the researchers admitted was a limitation. They were followed for an average of 14 years.

The researchers found no reduced risk of cirrhosis for tea drinkers. Tea has less caffeine than coffee and there were fewer heavy tea drinkers in the study, so if caffeine is the protective ingredient, an effect may not have shown up for tea in the study, Klatsky said."

 

[tbolking]

you ever had a cup of black offee??

that stuff will clean you out.

 

[BrooklynBB]

you ever had a cup of black offee??

that stuff will clean you out.

Hah, very true. The thing is, I ONLY drink Black Coffee. I can't drink it any other way.

 

[Ashop]

you ever had a cup of black offee??

that stuff will clean you out.

I love coffee in the morning. Only way I can start my day.

 

[StoryOfTheYear]

I like coffee but dont drink it daily. I think im going to start drinking a cup in the morning daily...starting tomorrow morning!

 

[Drudge]

Finaly some good news about coffee. Ive been drinking 4cups daily and for the longest time i thought it would cause liver problems, no more...now im gonna worry about the old ticker, hehe.

 

[LEX]

I read somewhere that coffee is the only source of antioxidants that most americans get on a daily basis.

 

[cryptasm]

Well caffine does have liver protection properties, but i wouldnt rely on it as a sole source...not drinking is a better liver protector especially for acoholics

 

[KillerStack]

I read somewhere that coffee is the only source of antioxidants that most americans get on a daily basis.

I don't know about only (americans don't eat ANY fruit or veggies? )but it's the biggest antioxidant contributor.

Edit, here's a study:

Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Intakes of Antioxidants in Coffee, Wine, and Vegetables Are Correlated with Plasma Carotenoids in Humans1
Arne Svilaas2, Amrit Kaur Sakhi*,2, Lene Frost Andersen*,2, Tone Svilaas, Ellen C. Ström, David R. Jacobs, Jr.*,, Leiv Ose and Rune Blomhoff*,3

Lipid Clinic, Medical Department, Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; * Institute for Nutrition Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; and Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN



3To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected].

The consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of major chronic degenerative diseases. The active compounds and the mechanisms involved in this protective effect have not been well defined. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of various food groups to total antioxidant intake, and to assess the correlations of the total antioxidant intake from various food groups with plasma antioxidants. We collected 7-d weighed dietary records in a group of 61 adults with corresponding plasma samples, and used data from a nationwide survey of 2672 Norwegian adults based on an extensive FFQ. The total intake of antioxidants was 17 mmol/d with ß-carotene, -tocopherol, and vitamin C contributing <10%. The intake of coffee contributed 11.1 mmol, followed by fruits (1.8 mmol), tea (1.4 mmol), wine (0.8 mmol), cereals (i.e., all grain containing foods; 0.8 mmol), and vegetables (0.4 mmol). The intake of total antioxidants was significantly correlated with plasma lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene. Among individual food groups, coffee, wine, and vegetables were significantly correlated with dietary zeaxanthin, ß-carotene, and -carotene. These data agree with the hypothesis that dietary antioxidants other than the well-known antioxidants contribute to our antioxidant defense. Surprisingly, the single greatest contributor to the total antioxidant intake was coffee.

I bet few know this. Green Tea has been talked about on the boards but most don't know this about coffee.

 

[Dave_19]

Good info. It seem's it works best to combat alcohol cirrhosis though. hopefully to us bodybuilder's this isn't an issue. it's kind of a catch 22 for us also becasue it will raise BP, so I would't say its a good idea while on unless BP is in check.