A cup of coffee may do more than just keep you awake or provide a quick energy boost. It also may help prevent or delay the progress of liver cancer.

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers.


According to a new study led by Dr Neal Freedman of the United States' National Cancer Institute (NCI) patients with hepatitis C benefited from increased coffee intake.

An effect on liver disease was not observed in patients who drank black or green tea.



Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects approximately 2.2% of the world's population with more than 3 million Americans infected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites HCV as the leading cause of liver transplantation in the US and accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths in the country annually.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 3 to 4 million persons contract HCV each year with 70% becoming chronic cases that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

The latest study involved 766 participants enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial who had hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis and failed to respond to standard treatment of the anti-viral drugs.

HALT-C patients were asked to report their typical frequency of coffee intake and portion size over the past year, using 9 frequency categories ranging from 'never' to 'every day' and 4 categories of portion size (1 cup, 2 cups, 3-4 cups, and 5+ cups).

A similar question was asked for black and green tea intake.

"This study is the first to address the association between liver disease progression related to hepatitis C and coffee intake," said Dr. Freedman.