Americans don’t always pay as much attention to their liver as they might to their eyes or their hearts. But a healthy liver is crucial for our bodies to flourish. How can we keep our livers in the pink?
Coffee Drinkers More Likely to Have Healthy Livers
Q. I listened to your podcast about how to maintain a healthy liver and the expert you were interviewing said that drinking coffee helps. Does it matter if it’s decaf or regular? (Surprisingly, this was not mentioned.)
A. An analysis of UK Biobank participants found that instant, ground and decaffeinated coffee were all associated with less liver fat and iron, markers of liver dysfunction (Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Dec. 2025). According to this analysis, tea drinkers are less likely to have liver inflammation as well, regardless of the type of tea they prefer.
Other researchers confirm that some components of coffee, including caffeine, polyphenols and diterpenes, can help protect the liver (Biochemical Pharmacology, Dec. 2025). People who drink coffee tend to have lower liver enzyme levels, a key marker of liver health. They also appear less likely to die from diseases of the liver.
For a Healthy Liver, Avoid Excess Alcohol
One cardinal rule for a healthy liver: don’t drink too much! People who consume three or more alcoholic beverages a day increase their risk for liver cancer. That includes beer, wine and distilled liquor beverages. That was established long ago. A decade ago, scientists announced that coffee may counteract that danger somewhat (Continuous Update Project (CUP) 2015 report).
Investigators at the World Cancer Research Fund analyzed data from 34 studies involving over 8 million subjects. Nearly 25,000 had developed liver cancer.
Coffee to the Rescue
The investigators discovered that one cup of coffee a day could reduce the risk of liver cancer by 14 percent. When the data were adjusted, they held for men but not for women.
Of course, this is not a license to abuse alcohol, which undeniably puts a strain on the liver. Nonetheless, the discovery that coffee has anticancer activity comes as good news…and it’s not the first time. Coffee consumption has previously been associated with a lower likelihood of developing mouth, bowel and uterine cancer.
Citations
- Liang Z et al, "Coffee and tea intake is inversely associated with hepatic fat deposition, iron deposition, and fibroinflammation in the general population." Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Dec. 2025. DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.70310
- Vargas-Pozada EE et al, "Coffee for the liver: a mechanistic approach." Biochemical Pharmacology, Dec. 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2025.117338
