Can Coffee Help Your Liver?

Medically Reviewed by Sabrina Felson, MD on March 08, 2024
3 min read

Lots of people drink coffee every day to help rev them up in the morning or lift them out of an afternoon slump. But java may do more than perk you up. Researchers have found that it might be good for you in other ways, especially for your liver.

Researchers have found that coffee drinkers may be less likely to have:

If you’re a big-time coffee lover, the news gets better. The more you drink, the more your chances of liver disease go down. In one study, researchers found that putting away 2 cups a day cut the odds of cirrhosis by 44%, and 4 cups a day lowered them by 65%.

If you already have a problem with your liver, coffee may help with that. Research shows that moderate amounts, typically between 1 and 3 cups a day, may slow down the following conditions:

  • Fibrosis
  • Cirrhosis
  • Hepatitis B and C
  • Non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease

In addition to caffeine, coffee has more than 1,000 chemicals. Doctors are still trying to figure out what the body does with them that makes coffee helpful. Here are a few pieces of the puzzle:

When your body digests caffeine, it makes a chemical called paraxanthine that slows the growth of the scar tissue involved in fibrosis. That may help fight liver cancer, alcohol-related cirrhosis, non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease, and hepatitis C.

Two chemicals in coffee, kahweol and cafestol, may help fight cancer. Doctors aren’t sure how powerful the effect is, but some think moderate amounts of unsweetened coffee could work alongside the main treatments for the most common kind of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma.

Acids in coffee may work against the virus that causes hepatitis B. One study found that decaf coffee could have the same benefit.

Studies have found that coffee helps men and women equally. And the benefits show up no matter how the coffee is made -- filtered, instant, or espresso.

Doctors think coffee might become an important weapon in the fight against liver disease. After all, it’s easy to get and doesn’t have to cost much.

But at this point, doctors don’t know enough to recommend any specific amount. And coffee may not be for everyone. Even though it might help your liver, it may raise your chances of other conditions.

For example, some chemicals in it may raise your cholesterol level or blood pressure. That could be a caution sign for:

No matter how good coffee might be for you, the key to taking care of your liver is still your lifestyle. Eat healthy food, go easy on the alcohol, watch your weight, get vaccinated for hepatitis A & B, avoid sharing needles, and get regular exercise.