Rejoice! Coffee May Save Your Liver After Night of Heavy Drinking

Had a rough night on the town?

No worries. Double fist a round of your favorite brew and your liver will thank you.

A new study shows that drinking at least two more cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of developing liver cirrhosis, a disease linked to excessive alcohol consumption.

​Researchers analyzed data from more than nine studies on coffee consumption involving more than 430,000 patients. Their analysis found that consuming two more cups of coffee per day was linked to a 44 percent reduction in the risk of developing cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis has no known cure and it kills more than 1 million people per year.

“Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may be reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous and well-tolerated beverage,” said Dr. Oliver Kennedy of Southampton University in the U.K.

​The studies analyzed involved a total of 1,990 people with cirrhosis.

Kennedy and colleagues analyzed previous data on coffee to see what would happen when two additional cups of coffee per day are added.

Compared to no coffee consumption, researchers estimated one cup a day was tied to a 22 percent lower risk of cirrhosis. The risk dropped by 44 percent with two cups, 57 percent with three cups, and 65 percent with four cups.

Still, Kennedy warns this doesn’t mean loading up on coffee will keep your liver squeaky clean. 

​The study did not indicate how exactly coffee may keep a liver healthy. It didn’t account for brewing method or type beans either. How you have your coffee may also be a factor.

Coffee also can’t reverse lifestyle choices that lead to diseases like obesity – also linked to cirrhosis among many factors.