Coffee compounds shown to protect the liver - even in decaf

Chemical compounds in coffee have been found to be beneficial to liver health - and they’re present even in decaffeinated coffee.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have discovered that higher coffee consumption, regardless of caffeine content, is linked to lower levels of abnormal liver enzymes. This suggests that chemical compounds in the coffee - other than caffeine - may help to protect the liver.

A paper published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, outlines the researchers’ study. The researchers studied 27,793 participants aged 20+, examining their coffee intake in a 24-hour period. They measured several markers of liver function, including alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transaminase (GGT) to determine liver health.

Participants who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had lower levels of ALT, AST, ALP and GGT compared to those who did not consume coffee. The researchers also found low levels of these liver enzymes in participants who only drank decaffeinated coffee.

Previous studies have found that coffee consumption may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.