Research How does coffee protect against liver cancer?

Numerous studies show that people who drink a lot of coffee have a reduced liver cancer risk compared to people who consume little or no. The causes of this connection were not yet clarified. Scientists have now found first answers.
An international team of researchers has identified bloodborne biomarkers in study participants that provide initial evidence of anti-inflammatory and cell-protecting mechanisms that could underlie the observed risk relationship between coffee consumption and liver cancer.

Coffee protects against liver cancer. Image: ram69 - fotolia

The current research shows that people who consume more than 600 ml (4 cups) of coffee per day have a 75% lower risk of developing liver cancer compared to people who drink less than 300 ml (2 cups). This observation coincides with the results of many other studies in recent years.

New to the study is that the researchers also investigated the influence of 21 liver-relevant biomarkers on the observed association. To do so, they analyzed the blood samples of 125 people who had liver cancer for the first time during the study, as well as those of 250 healthy subjects. The blood samples had taken the scientists at the beginning of the study and thus 2.4 to 6.8 years before the occurrence of liver cancer. The researchers found that especially three of the investigated biomarkers play a major role in risk education. These include the messenger interleukin-6, which is involved in the regulation of inflammatory reactions, as well as the two enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltransferase, which indicate damage to the liver cells or bile diseases. The study can be found here.