Question Your World: Can Coffee Undo Liver Damage?
Rates of liver disease have doubled in the past few decades and now affects up to 1 in 4 Americans ... yikes! Instead of drinking the jitter juice, researchers decided to study its impact on the liver. So, can coffee undo liver damage? Researchers analyzed data from more than 490,000 subjects and found that participants who drank two cups of coffee a day had a 44% lower risk of liver disease. Four cups of day reduced the risk by 67%, but please note: that caffeine buzz may not be so comfortable or convenient for anyone around you! This result was seen regardless of whether the participants drank decaf, instant or ground coffees. Now, before going to an all-coffee diet to undo years of late-night partying, there are a few factors to keep in mind. First, the fats and sugars present in most coffee additives will undo your coffee bonus. Adding sugars, creamers and flavorings cancels out the positive effects of plain black coffee. Next, and most importantly, this study doesn’t indicate that coffee is cleaning out your liver or undoing previous damage. What it does suggest is that it is possible that coffee, or some of the phytochemicals within it, could have active ingredients to help fight liver disease. With luck, scientists will begin testing coffee as a treatment or prevention method! Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceMuseumVA. Also, follow the Science Museum of Virginia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceMuseumofVirginia Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScienceMusofVA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sciencemuseumofvirginia/ Read more Question Your World blogs at https://smv.org/learn/blog/.
Rates of liver disease have doubled in the past few decades and now affects up to 1 in 4 Americans ... yikes! Instead of drinking the jitter juice, researchers decided to study its impact on the liver. So, can coffee undo liver damage? Researchers analyzed data from more than 490,000 subjects and found that participants who drank two cups of coffee a day had a 44% lower risk of liver disease. Four cups of day reduced the risk by 67%, but please note: that caffeine buzz may not be so comfortable or convenient for anyone around you! This result was seen regardless of whether the participants drank decaf, instant or ground coffees. Now, before going to an all-coffee diet to undo years of late-night partying, there are a few factors to keep in mind. First, the fats and sugars present in most coffee additives will undo your coffee bonus. Adding sugars, creamers and flavorings cancels out the positive effects of plain black coffee. Next, and most importantly, this study doesn’t indicate that coffee is cleaning out your liver or undoing previous damage. What it does suggest is that it is possible that coffee, or some of the phytochemicals within it, could have active ingredients to help fight liver disease. With luck, scientists will begin testing coffee as a treatment or prevention method! Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceMuseumVA. Also, follow the Science Museum of Virginia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceMuseumofVirginia Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScienceMusofVA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sciencemuseumofvirginia/ Read more Question Your World blogs at https://smv.org/learn/blog/.