Research says drinking coffee helps prevent liver cancer

Photo source: Hot water is poured into a glass of ground Ethiopian coffee. (Bloomberg)

A survey of Singaporean Chinese found that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of liver cancer by 44%.

Researchers from the Department of Epidemiology at the National University of Singapore suggested that two kinds of oil caffeine and caffeinol found in coffee beans have hepatoprotective effects.

There are more and more signs that the idea that coffee is bad for health is wrong. The study, which began in 1993, provides the latest evidence. The study involved more than 63000 Chinese Singaporeans between the ages of 45 and 74 who are thought to have a higher risk of developing liver cancer.

Associate Professor Xu Yunpei, who participated in the study, recently wrote in the US Journal of Cancer cause and Control that the findings mean that coffee drinkers can reduce their worry about liver cancer.

The magazine quoted Xu Yunpei as saying: "Tea often gets a very positive description, while coffee often has to struggle with a bad image."

However, her team's study of green tea found that green tea had no effect on preventing liver cancer.

A 2008 study also found that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of diabetes by 30%.