Joyful health benefits for coffee lovers

Coffee lovers, rejoice! A new study has found that regular consumption of coffee may reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by 44 per cent and may nearly halve the risk of dying from the disease.

In patients with cirrhosis, the liver becomes scarred often as a result of long-term and persistent injury from toxins like alcohol and viral infections like hepatitis C.

It may be fatal due to an increased risk of liver failure and cancer, researchers said.

They conducted a meta-analysis of nine long-term studies involving half a million men and women, and found that an extra two cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of cirrhosis by 44 per cent, and it may nearly halve the risk of dying from cirrhosis, reports PTI.

"Coffee appeared to protect against cirrhosis," said Oliver Kennedy from University of Southampton in UK.

"This could be an important finding for patients at risk of cirrhosis to help to improve their health outcomes," said Kennedy.

The findings were published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics