In a new study, researchers found that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The research was conducted by a team from Queen’s University.
Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide.
Previous research has shown there are many health benefits of drinking coffee, which may be due to its high levels of antioxidants.
The study took place in the UK for over 7.5 years and looked at the coffee-drinking habits of 471,779 participants in the UK Biobank, one of the largest studies of middle-aged individuals in the world.
Over three-quarters of participants reported drinking coffee and compared to those who did not drink coffee, drinkers were more likely to be older, male, from less deprived areas and have higher education levels.
They were also more likely to be previous or current smokers, consume higher levels of alcohol, have high cholesterol and were less likely to have chronic conditions such as diabetes, cirrhosis, gallstones, and peptic ulcers compared with non-coffee drinkers.
After taking these factors into account, the researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to develop HCC compared to those who did not drink coffee.
The findings suggest a reduced risk of HCC, the most common form of liver cancer, in coffee drinkers compared to those who did not drink coffee.
This is one of the first studies to investigate the risk of digestive cancers according to different types of coffee and we found that the risk of HCC was just as low in people who drank mostly instant coffee, the type most commonly drank in the UK.
More research is needed to determine the possible biological reasons behind this association.
The team says people with a coffee-drinking habit could find keeping that habit going is good for their health.
That is because coffee contains antioxidants and caffeine, which may protect against cancer.
However, drinking coffee is not as protective against liver cancer as stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol or losing weight.
One author of the study is Dr. Úna McMenamin, a researcher from the Centre for Public Health.
The study is published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
