Drinking coffee ‘can help stave off liver cancer’, experts say

As if we needed another reason to swill down mug after mug of hot, life-giving coffee, science has come up with a good one.

Increasing coffee consumption can reduce people’s risk of liver cancer – and this is based on studies with more than 2.25 million participants.

Coming hot on the tails of another study which showed coffee reduced the risk of cardiovascular illness, it basically looks like it’s time to get the kettle on.

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Researchers analysed 26 studies and found that people who drink more coffee are less likely to develop hepatocellular cancer (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer.

People who drank two cups a day have a 35% reduced risk, but for those who drank five cups, the risk was halved.

Lead author Dr Oliver Kennedy, of the University of Southampton, said: ‘Coffee is widely believed to possess a range of health benefits, and these latest findings suggest it could have a significant effect on liver cancer risk.

‘We’re not suggesting that everyone should start drinking five cups of coffee a day though. There needs to be more investigation into the potential harms of high coffee-caffeine intake, and there is evidence it should be avoided in certain groups such as pregnant women.

‘Nevertheless, our findings are an important development given the increasing evidence of HCC globally and its poor prognosis.’