According to a new study, increasing per capita coffee consumption on a population level has the potential to avert liver disease-related deaths.
Findings have been published in the Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
Worldwide, cirrhosis is estimated to be the cause of more than a million deaths annually, equating to more than 2% of all deaths. It has been recognized that coffee intake offers some degree of protection against liver disease.
High coffee consumption has been correlated with improved insulin sensitivity, suggesting that coffee may exert protective effects through attenuating insulin-induced hepatic fibrosis and/or NAFLD as a co-factor in liver disease progression.
Over more recent years, there has been a growing number of publications reporting that coffee intake not only improves liver biochemistry but also slows progression to cirrhosis and is associated with a reduced risk of death from liver disease. While preliminary studies in animal models support the protective mechanism of coffee on liver fibrogenesis and liver damage, there is very limited knowledge of the global scenario.
To investigate the potential reduction in liver disease-associated mortality with increased coffee consumption worldwide, Paul Gow and co-researchers undertook the study.
The researchers followed a very interesting study design to assess the global coffee consumption. This descriptive cross-sectional study used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), 2016, adults >15, years dataset (both sexes) to illustrate the potential impact of increasing per capita coffee consumption to more than two and also more than four cups per day on the number of liver-related deaths globally.
To estimate annual per capita coffee consumption for each country, public-available data were used from the International Coffee Organisation, an international commercial and market interest organization that records annual estimates of national per capita coffee consumption (kilograms) based on national coffee bean import and export data.
The following facts emerged on analysis.
Per capita, coffee consumption data were available for 112 of the 194 countries listed in the GBD dataset.
Worldwide, there was an estimated total of 1 240 201 (95% CI 118 4300-1 354 410) deaths due to liver disease in 2016 among people aged > 15 years.22 The median global liver mortality rate in 2016 was 15 deaths per 100 000 population per year.
If worldwide per capita coffee was more than two cups per day, the total number of liver-related deaths among those aged > 15 years would reduce to an estimated 714 942 (95% CI 713 811-716 289) in 2016.
A population preventable rate of 7.8 liver-related deaths per 100 000 per year was noted.
"Our findings suggest further research into the protective mechanisms of coffee in liver disease and data from a randomized controlled trial would be beneficial, particularly given its low cost, wide accessibility, and good safety profile." Wrote the authors.

For the full article click on the link: https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16020
Primary source: Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics