Study: Coffee Might Lower Risk of Liver Cancer | WPN World People News

Drinking coffee might reduce your risk of liver cancer, a new review suggests.

Researchers analyzed the findings of 16 studies that were published between 1996 and 2012 and included a total of nearly 3,200 patients. The researchers said that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, by about 40 percent.

Some of the data also suggests that drinking three cups of coffee a day reduces liver cancer risk by more than 50 percent, according to the findings.

The research confirms past claims that coffee is good for your health, and particularly the liver. The favorable effect of coffee on liver cancer might be mediated by coffee's proven prevention of diabetes, a known risk factor for the disease, or for its beneficial effects on cirrhosis and liver enzymes.

Despite consistent results in all the studies included in the review, it's difficult to determine whether drinking coffee directly reduces liver cancer risk, or if this association may be partly due to the fact that patients with liver and other digestive diseases often choose to drink less coffee.

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world, and the third most common cause of cancer death. Chronic infections with hepatitis B and C are the main causes of liver cancer. Other risk factors include drinking, smoking, obesity and diabetes.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services