Coffee is the second most consumed drink after water. Made from coffee beans roasted then ground and infused, coffee, when consumed reasonably, has beneficial effects on health and especially on the liver. Here's what drinking coffee regularly can bring to your liver.
Although coffee has long been a controversial drink, recent research tends to associate its consumption with a reduced risk of developing certain diseases, including liver diseases.
Coffee is good for the liver
The liver is an extraordinary organ that fulfills more than 300 vital functions in the body: it stores and synthesizes a large number of nutrients, it synthesizes bile and certain hormones and treats waste and toxic substances.
According to a report by the British Liver Trust entitled "Coffee and the liver - the potential health benefits" compiling and analyzing a multitude of scientific data on the effects of coffee on liver health, "drinking moderate amounts of coffee promotes better liver health, especially in patients with liver diseases. "
- Coffee prevents liver cancer
According to this report, the World Health Organization has confirmed after examining nearly a thousand human studies, that drinking moderate amounts of coffee regularly prevents liver cancer.
In addition, a study conducted at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, shows that eating two cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of having liver cancer by 43%.
- Coffee prevents fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver
Liver fibrosis is the result of repeated attacks on the liver. It consists of the appearance of more and more scar tissue in places where the liver is damaged or inflamed recurrently. Liver function is then worse and worse. When fibrosis reaches an advanced stage, it is called cirrhosis.
In this regard, a study by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the United States found that two to four cups of coffee a day slowed the progression of liver fibrosis in patients with prevented the appearance of the disease.
- Coffee protects against liver diseases
Researchers at the University of Missouri in the United States say in a study entitled "Coffee: the magic grain for liver disease" that coffee is linked to liver protection against hepatitis C. , fibrosis, liver cancer and chronic liver diseases in general.
How to take care of your liver
Of course, it is not enough to consume coffee to have a healthy liver. Whether you are a coffee drinker or not, the more you attack your liver with toxic products such as alcohol, unhealthy food or some drugs, the more you may see it develop various disorders.
If, on the contrary, you adopt a healthy lifestyle and stick to it, you will soon realize that the vast majority of liver diseases, such as fibrosis and cirrhosis, are reversible.
Dr. Sonja Olsen, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the NYU Langone Medical Center, says, "The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate. If you allow your body to pause between attacks to the liver, you will recover to a certain extent. "
To take care of your precious liver:
∙ Avoid alcohol and processed foods
To protect your liver from all kinds of diseases and to help it regenerate, avoid foods high in sugar and refined flour, alcohol, fast food and processed foods in general.
∙ Eat healthy
Try to have a healthy and natural diet rich in fiber and micronutrients. Increase the proportion of fruits and vegetables you consume as well as whole grains.
∙ Pay attention to the consumption of certain drugs
Certain medications such as painkillers (aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen) can damage the liver when consumed regularly. Antibiotics, steroids or arthritis medications can also be mentioned.
∙ Consume antioxidants
Many studies extol the benefits of antioxidants for the liver and for health in general. These fight the effects of free radicals, which play an important role in the development of diseases including that of the liver. To prevent the development of liver problems, eat foods rich in antioxidants such as red fruits (acai berries, goji berries, blackberries, etc.), dark chocolate, apples, fresh ginger or grapes.
