There’s good news for coffee drinkers from the ongoing Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial. It turns out that patients with hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis have 53% less risk of progression of their liver disease if they drink at least 3 cups of coffee a day. No benefit was seen from lower coffee intake or from green tea intake. More:

The researchers put forward several ways in which coffee intake might protect against liver disease, including by reducing the risk of type two diabetes, which has been associated with liver illness; or by reducing inflammation, which is thought to cause fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver.

If coffee can be shown to reduce inflammation, that opens up a lot of potential research. Inflammation has been shown to be an important factor in a wide range of chronic diseases including arthritis, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), and many cancers. Have you had your coffee today?