Study Shows Drinking Coffee Cuts Alcohol's Harmful Effects

Next time you're out at your favorite watering hole, remember the latest findings by Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, which say that coffee may counteract alcohol’s poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis.

In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 percent. The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds. The participants ranged from teetotalers, who made up 12 percent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 percent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.

The findings, published in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer. The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. But coffee’s effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.

While the best way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver is probably just cut down on your alcohol drinking, it's still nice to know that cup of java from Andiamo Coffee that tastes so good, is actually doing something good for you at the same time.