A new report from an ongoing systematic review of global research determined that coffee can significantly reduce one's risk of liver disease.
The findings follow a 2013 CUP report that showed coffee could lower endometrial cancer risk, the American Institute for Cancer Research reported. Coffee contains a number of compounds that are currently being investigated due to past indications that they have significant cancer-fighting properties.
"It may act on liver enzymes that eliminate carcinogens, for example," said Stephen Hursting, researcher at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and one of the CUP expert panelists.
The report looked at 34 studies involving over 8.2 million people and over 24,500 cases of liver cancer. It is the most in-depth review of research on influences of diet, exercise and lifestyle on liver cancer.
The findings also were the first to show a concrete link between obesity and liver cancer risk. It found physical activity and fish consumption most likely reduce the risk of liver cancer, but further evidence would be needed to make this claim. Having three alcoholic drinks a day or more was associated with an elevated risk of liver cancer.
"This supports what research has pointed to - that there is a link between obesity and liver cancer," said Hillel Tobias, clinical professor in the Department of Gastroenterology at NYU Langone Medical Center and co-chair of the American Liver Foundation's national medical advisory committee. "Lifestyle factors are important contributors to the development of liver cancer and even moderate changes in diet, alcohol consumption and exercise can prevent it. But liver cancer can also occur because of uncontrolled forms of hepatitis, including hepatitis C, which affects millions of people worldwide."
The findings suggest that other than not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing one can do to protect themselves from cancer.
"That means it's more important than ever to do what you can to get to a healthy weight: being active every day, putting plenty of plant foods like fruits, vegetables and grains on your plate and limiting or avoiding alcohol. The good news is that these same strategies lower risk for many other common cancers and chronic diseases," said AICR's Associate Director of Nutrition Programs Alice Bender.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Liver Cancer.
