Your morning coffee may be doing your liver a quiet favor. One of the largest studies yet on the topic links higher coffee consumption to markedly lower risks of serious liver disease — and finds decaf works about as well as regular.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, writing in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, followed 354,957 UK Biobank participants for a median of 13 years, using medical records, blood tests, and liver MRI scans.
What the numbers showed
Compared with non-drinkers, people who drank 5+ cups a day had:
- 32% lower risk of cirrhosis
- 47% lower risk of liver cancer
- 42% lower risk of liver-related death
Benefits appeared at just 1–2 cups a day and were strongest around 3–4 cups. MRI scans showed less liver fat, iron, scarring, and inflammation in coffee drinkers.
Why — and the caveat
Both caffeinated and decaf coffee showed similar benefits, which suggests caffeine isn't the whole story — other compounds in coffee likely influence inflammation and scarring. Importantly, this is an observational study: it shows a strong association, not proof that coffee causes the protection. Coffee affects people differently, so it's not a prescription. This article is general information, not medical advice.