Is Coffee Good for Your Liver?

Coffee may be beneficial for the health of your liver according to a study recently published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.  

“We found that coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma—the most common form of liver cancer—and death from liver disease,” said hepatologist Hyunseok Kim, MD, MPH, PhD, the study’s corresponding author.

Coffee consumption is linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis … liver cancer and death from liver disease.

The study included almost 350,000 participants from the UK Biobank, a database with health information on 500,000 de-identified volunteer participants. Researchers analyzed data from a 13-year period and found people who drank five or more cups of coffee a day were 32% less likely to contract cirrhosis, 47% less likely to get liver cancer and 42% less likely to die from liver disease than people who didn’t drink coffee.

Five cups a day may sound like a lot, but Kim said you don’t have to drink that much coffee to get some benefit.

“The outcome is dose-responsive, so even those who drank one or two cups were linked with better liver health,” he said.

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How Might Coffee Help the Liver?

Coffee is a complex substance. It contains more than 1,000 bioactive chemical compounds. Some of them are thought to help lower the risk of liver disease.  

Coffee contains powerful antioxidants.

“Coffee contains powerful antioxidants, such as polyphenols like chlorogenic acid,” said Cedars-Sinai clinical registered dietitian Albert Abayev, RD, “and they can help clear away free radicals—molecules that can damage and age cells.”  

Other compounds are thought to reduce inflammation, resist scarring (fibrosis) in the liver and prevent the excess buildup of fat.

And the researchers said it didn’t matter what kind of coffee people were drinking.

“We found the association between coffee drinkers and improved liver health held true for caffeinated, decaffeinated, instant and brewed coffees,” said Kim. “Black coffee was linked with the maximum health benefits, whereas additives, particularly sugar and other sweeteners, were associated with slightly reduced benefits.”

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Does the Study Prove Drinking Coffee Improves the Health of Your Liver?

The short answer is no.

Many previous studies have found coffee drinkers generally enjoy healthier livers than people who don’t drink coffee, but these studies are all associative—meaning they don’t prove coffee is the cause.  

The Cedars-Sinai study goes a step further than simple association by analyzing MRI images of almost 29,000 of the study participants’ livers. These images showed the livers of coffee drinkers had less fat, fibrous inflammation and iron—all of which are markers of liver disease.

Researchers also performed proteomics profiles on more than 44,000 study participants, comparing their coffee intake to the level of thousands of proteins in their blood. They found coffee drinkers had more of the proteins associated with healthy liver production and fewer of those associated with fibrosis and inflammation.  

Study author Shelly Lu, MD, the Women’s Guild Chair in Gastroenterology and director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai, says the MRI images and the proteomics analyses make this study stronger than previous research of its kind.  

“Not only does the study show a strong link between drinking coffee and liver health with a large cohort over a long period of time,” she said, “but with the MRI and proteomics, we get a better view of how this might be happening.”

She is also quick to confirm, however, that the investigators still cannot say with certainty that coffee is causing the benefits to liver health, nor have they identified exactly which compounds in the coffee might be responsible.

Coffee and the risk of Liver Cancer and Fatty Liver

Investigators found coffee drinkers had a lower risk of developing the most common form of liver cancer. The research suggests this outcome may result from the reduced fibrosis and inflammation in the livers of coffee drinkers, as well as the presence of beneficial proteins.

The study did not specifically look at the link between coffee drinking and fatty liver disease, but MRI images indicated coffee drinkers have less fatty livers, which would suggest they are at reduced risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which ultimately can lead to inflammation and dangerous scarring.

Is Coffee Ever Bad for Your Liver?

The FDA says up to 400 milligrams of caffeine (about 4-5 standard 8-ounce cups of coffee) is considered safe for most adults. However, it says what is safe can vary based on factors such as body weight, medications, medical conditions and individual sensitivity. It suggests those who are pregnant or breast-feeding check with a physician.  

In moderation, it can be a safe and possibly helpful addition to a healthy diet.

“Too much caffeine can temporarily increase your blood pressure and anxiety and make you jittery,” said Abayev. “If you drink coffee later in the day, it can also affect your sleep, and sleep is important to your overall health.”

He also points out coffee often comes with added sugar and fat.

“In sum, I wouldn’t start drinking five cups a day as a treatment for your liver,” he said. “But in moderation, it can be a safe and possibly helpful addition to a healthy diet.”

When to Talk to a Doctor About Liver Health

Early-stage liver disease usually does not present any noticeable symptoms. Routine bloodwork taken during an annual physical, however, can identify asymptomatic liver disease. If your blood test results are abnormal, follow up with a hepatologist for additional testing.

You should also get your liver tested if you have any of these risk factors:

• Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes or metabolic syndrome

• Obesity, particularly around the waistline

• High blood pressure or high cholesterol

• Regular alcohol use (one drink per day for women, two for men)

• Viral hepatitis  

Symptoms of liver disease include:

• Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, the location of the liver

• Unexplained and persistent exhaustion, weakness or brain fog

• Sudden loss of appetite, weight loss or frequent nausea

• Jaundice

• Fluid buildup in the legs or ankles

• Easy bruising or bleeding

• Unusually dark urine or pale stools