In a study from the University of Coimbra, scientists found that caffeine, polyphenols, and other natural products found in coffee may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight people with type 2 diabetes.
NAFLD is a collective term for liver disorders caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. These can lead to liver fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer.
NAFLD is not the result of excessive alcohol consumption, but is instead often the result of an unhealthy lifestyle with little exercise and a high-calorie diet.
In the study, the team found people with higher coffee intake had healthier livers.
People with higher caffeine levels were less likely to have liver fibrosis, while higher levels of non-caffeine coffee components were strongly linked to reduced fatty liver index scores.
The study suggests that for overweight T2D patients, a higher intake of coffee is linked to less severe NAFLD.
The team surveyed 156 middle-aged borderline-obese participants on their coffee intake, of which 98 subjects had T2D and provided 24-hour urine samples.
This was used to measure caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites—the natural products of the body breaking down coffee.
The team found caffeine intake is associated with decreased liver fibrosis in NAFLD and other chronic liver conditions.
It has been suggested that other coffee components, including polyphenols, reduce oxidative stress in the liver, in turn reducing the risk of fibrosis as well as improving glucose homeostasis in both healthy and overweight subjects.
All these factors may also alleviate the severity of T2D.
The team says their research is the first to observe that higher cumulative amounts of both caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites in urine are associated with reduced severity of NAFLD in overweight people with T2D.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about new drugs to treat diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and heavy cannabis use may decrease the incidence of diabetes.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about the normal blood sugar for people with diabetes, and results showing how to reduce heart disease death risk if you have diabetes.
The study was conducted by John Griffith Jones et al and published in Nutrients.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
