Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 2: For many people, coffee is an essential part of the morning routine, and according to a leading gastroenterologist, that daily cup may offer significant benefits for liver health.
Dr Saurabh Sethi, a California-based gastroenterologist trained at AIIMS, Harvard and Stanford Universities, says regular coffee consumption has been consistently linked to better liver health. Drawing on more than two decades of medical experience and over 10,000 liver scans, he recently outlined four reasons why coffee could be beneficial.
According to Dr Sethi, one of coffee's most significant advantages is its potential to protect against liver cirrhosis. He said studies have shown that regular coffee drinkers may have up to a 44 per cent lower risk of developing cirrhosis, a condition in which healthy liver tissue is gradually replaced by scar tissue, impairing liver function.
He also noted that consistent coffee intake has been associated with lower levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), two key liver enzymes commonly used to assess liver health. Lower levels of these enzymes are generally considered a sign of improved liver function.
Another potential benefit is coffee's role in reducing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that now affects nearly one in three adults. Dr Sethi said coffee is one of the few beverages backed by strong and consistent clinical evidence for supporting liver health in people with fatty liver disease.
Importantly, he added that the benefits are not limited to caffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee may also offer similar protective effects because much of the benefit appears to come from naturally occurring polyphenols rather than caffeine alone.
According to Dr Sethi, studies have found that decaf coffee drinkers also show improvements in liver enzyme levels, suggesting that both regular and decaffeinated coffee can contribute to maintaining liver health.
While coffee may offer these potential health benefits, experts generally recommend consuming it in moderation and avoiding excessive sugar or high-calorie additives that could offset its positive effects.