THE ESSENTIAL
- According to the EFSA, an adult can safely consume up to 200 mg (about 3 mg per kilogram of body weight) of caffeine per day.
- A cup of filter coffee (200ml), an espresso (60ml) and a cup of black tea (220ml) contain 90mg, 80mg and 50mg of caffeine respectively.
- Fatty liver disease is characterized by an accumulation of fat in the liver causing inflammation. Left untreated, it can cause liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.
Caffeine and polyphenols, present in coffee, would help protect the liver. According to researchers from the University of Coimbra, consuming this drink could reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (also called fatty liver disease) in people at risk such as overweight type 2 diabetics.
Fatty liver disease: caffeine would protect people at risk
Scientists asked 156 borderline obese participants about their coffee consumption. 98 of them had type 2 diabetes, people with a high risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Urine samples were also analyzed to measure caffeine levels and components present. This allows, according to the researchers, to have a more certain idea of the number of cups drunk by the person.
Data shows that volunteers with higher coffee consumption had healthier livers. Those with high caffeine levels were less likely to have liver fibrosis. Higher levels of coffee components – such as polyphenols – were significantly associated with reduced fatty liver index scores. Patients with type 2 diabetes and overweight who regularly drank a “caoua” had less severe forms of fatty liver disease compared to those who did not.
Coffee would protect the liver from oxidative stress
The scientists indicate in their work, published in Nutrients, that caffeine consumption is associated with decreased liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other chronic liver conditions. The components of coffee, including polyphenols, reduce oxidative stress to the organ, thereby decreasing the risk of fibrosis and improving glucose homeostasis in both healthy and overweight individuals. “All of these factors can also mitigate the severity of type 2 diabetes”add the team.
The study’s lead author, Professor John Griffith Jones, said: “Due to changes in diet and modern lifestyle, there is an increase in obesity rates and the incidence of type 2 diabetes or even fatty liver disease, which may eventually progress to more severe and irreversible conditions, burdening health systems.Our research is the first to observe that higher cumulative amounts of caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites in urine are associated with reduced severity of fatty liver disease alcoholism in overweight diabetics.”