# Coffee and liver disease

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-and-liver-disease/789449>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 20, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-and-liver-disease/789449 "2017-06-20T17:15:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-and-liver-disease/789449/1 "2017-06-20T17:15:30Z")

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In the last few years there have been an increasing number of articles that suggest that coffee consumption can protect against various liver diseases; [here is one](http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/827617) but simply googling “coffee liver disease” will yield many such articles.

To a layman such as myself, most of them seem pretty unambiguous in concluding that regular coffee consumption in all likelihood really does have these beneficial effects on liver health. Is there any reason to be doubtful of these articles? Maybe all the studies were backed by Big Coffee? Or the reporting is sloppy, as is often the case when science is being reported on in the news?

I see that in a thread from last year, **KarlGauss** made the following point:

> [@Is there anything which can counteract, reduce, or moderate liver damage from alcohol?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-which-can-counteract-reduce-or-moderate-liver-damage-from-alcohol/690883/17):
>
> There is actually pretty good _epidemiological_ evidence to support the notion that coffee protects against many types of liver disease. What there is not (to my knowledge) is any appropriately powered randomized trial to prove the point.
> 
> And, one should beware treatments based strictly on epidemiological considerations. Two examples come to mind where in each case randomized trials showed a net _negative_ health effect despite overwhelming and rather compelling epidemiological evidence that suggested the contrary.
> 
> 1. estrogen for postmenopausal women
> 2. vitamin E to prevent cancer

I suppose most if not all of the articles do focus on the “epidemiological” evidence (again, according to my layman’s understanding). Is it still true that no randomized trials have been done and in the absence of such, are we better off assuming the benefit does not actually exist?

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**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-and-liver-disease/789449/2 "2017-06-20T17:50:18Z")

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I don’t have time at the moment to look for current or recent research. I’ll try to do that later, if no one else pops in with some.

I will say you can’t assume in either direction. “Don’t know” means we don’t know. It would be premature to start counting on a health benefit, but you can’t rule it out either.

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**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-and-liver-disease/789449/3 "2017-06-20T19:06:27Z")

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> [@arseNal](#):
>
> Is there any reason to be doubtful of these articles

Yes. One study on coffee demographics found that 70% of households earning over $150,000/year drink coffee, whereas only 54% of households earning less than $25,000/year drink coffee, so any epidemiological data should be suspect:

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