MILAN, Italy, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- An analysis of 11 studies conducted in Europe and Japan found a link between coffee and a reduced risk of liver cancer.
Francesca Bravi of the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri in Milan, Italy, combined the data from 11 studies to obtain an overall quantitative estimate of the association between coffee consumption and liver cancer.
The review, published in the journal Hepatology, showed a 41 percent reduction of liver cancer risk among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee.
"Moreover, the apparent favorable effect of coffee drinking was found both in studies from southern Europe, where coffee is widely consumed, and from Japan, where coffee consumption is less frequent, and in subjects with chronic liver diseases," the researchers said in a statement.
However, despite the consistency of the results, it may be that patients with digestive tract diseases, including liver disorders, naturally reduce their coffee consumption, even though avoidance of coffee isn't routinely recommended, according to Bravi.
