By It's medically sound — seriously!
According to a new study published in the journal Hepatology, coffee may actually protect your liver. The study, which ran from 1999 to 2010, tracked and examined coffee consumption in 27,793 people (about 14,000 of those actually drank coffee) by questionnaire. Scientists also tracked subjects' blood levels of four enzymes that reveal liver function.
Related: New Study Says a Regular Soda Habit May Age You Just as Much as Smoking
After "controlling for age, sex, race, education, smoking, alcohol consumption and other factors," the study showed that participants who drank as many as three cups per day were approximately 25% less likely to show abnormal liver enzyme levels. And, interestingly, this didn't just include caffeine devotees — those participants who drank decaf coffee showed similar results with regard to liver function.
The study did not provide a reason for the decreased liver abnormalities, due in large part to the complex makeup of coffee, explains lead author Qian Xiao. "There are more than a thousand compounds in coffee," he said to The New York Times. "There are a few candidates, but I don't know which is responsible." And while it's not definitive causal proof that drinking coffee will keep your liver healthy, it is, in Dr. Xiao's opinion, "…reassurance that coffee and decaf are not harmful to liver function."
Good enough for us.
Related: Early Studies Show Beer May Actually Be Good for the Brain
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