Drinking This 3 Times a Day Slashes Your Risk of Liver Disease, Study Says
This beloved beverage can help reduce your risk by over 20 percent.
Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by liver disease, which is why it's important to get your liver checked regularly and make sure you're doing everything you can to keep it healthy. Recently, researchers found a simple and delicious way to slash your risk of developing liver disease, and it's an easy change to make. According to the June study published in the journal BMC Public Health, drinking one beverage three to four times a day can significantly reduce your risk of liver disease. Read on to find out what you should be sipping daily.
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Drinking three to four cups of coffee a day can reduce your risk of liver disease.
The recent U.K.-based study in BMC Public Health found that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day can notably reduce your risk of developing and dying from chronic liver disease. Researchers said that the coffee can be either caffeinated or decaffeinated. According to the study, coffee drinkers were 21 percent less likely to develop chronic liver disease, and coffee was even more effective at preventing liver disease-related deaths. The study concluded that coffee drinkers were 49 percent less likely to die from chronic liver disease.
An earlier study from one of the same authors, Oliver Kennedy, PhD, found that drinking coffee also reduced the risk of hepatocellular cancer, the most prevalent form of liver cancer. The 2017 study out of the University of Southampton found that drinking one extra cup of coffee daily was associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk of developing hepatocellular cancer, two extra cups led to a 35 percent reduction, and up to five cups led to cutting the risk in half.
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These findings are especially useful because of the accessibility of coffee.
Liver disease has been on the rise over the past decade, according to The BMJ, and researchers say that coffee could be useful in remedying this. While these findings are worth noting in the U.S. and U.K., Kennedy believes they could be even more impactful in other countries. "Coffee is widely accessible, and the benefits we see from our study may mean it could offer a potential preventative treatment for chronic liver disease," he said in a statement. "This would be especially valuable in countries with lower income and worse access to healthcare and where the burden of chronic liver disease is highest."
There are other risk factors for liver disease.
People who are at an increased risk of liver disease may benefit more from drinking coffee. There are a handful of risk factors that you should know about. According to the Mayo Clinic, lifestyle choices such as heavy alcohol use, tattoos, body piercings, and unprotected sex can increase your risk of liver disease. Conditions including obesity, hepatitis, and type 2 diabetes are also risk factors, as is having a family history of liver disease.
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And there are more ways to reduce your risk than just coffee.
Coffee aside, there are a several other ways to reduce your risk of liver disease. Per the Mayo Clinic, altering your lifestyle choices by drinking in moderation and having safe sex can help mitigate your chances. The Mayo Clinic also advises getting vaccinated against hepatitis if you're at an increased risk of contracting it. Finally, you should only take medications when needed and within the recommended doses.
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