A recent study led by Neal Freedman of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) showed that patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drank 3 or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of the diseases worsening
by 53%, compared to patients who did not drink any coffee.

766 patients who had hepatitis C which had not responded to treatment with anti-viral drugs participatd in the study which spanned over 3 1/2 years. The patients in the study were asked to report the amount of coffee they consumed each day.

The participants were examined every 3 months and liver biopsies were taken at 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 years into the study. Two theories were put forth suggesting that coffee intake could possibly benefit patients with liver diseas by controlling Type 2 diabetes, which is often associated with liver disease, and by reducing inflammation, which has been thought to cause fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver.

This is not the only study linking coffee to liver health. A study done at Kaiser Permanente division of research in California studied 125,000 people and results showed that those who drank only one cup a day reduced by 20% the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver.

The figure rose to 80 per cent with four cups a day,and general blood tests showed healthier liver results in those who were coffee drinkers.

The research in this study showed that cirrhosis scarring was much less evident in coffee drinkers,meaning that the relative intake was related to the ability of the liver to regenerate itself.

Other recent studies have also linked drinking coffee to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. This theory is based on how coffee can stimulate brain cells to absorb a material called choline, which is a brain chemical decimated by the disease.

A coffee enthusiast himself, the author owns a website offering single serving coffee maker reviews and comparisons.