• Posted July 8, 2026

Drinking Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Liver Disease

The best thing about your morning coffee may not be the caffeine kick.

A study just published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggests as little as one to two cups a day may lower your risk of serious liver disease.

The study included more than 355,000 healthy adults who filled out dietary questionnaires and were followed for about 13 years.

The results: People who drank the most coffee — five or more cups a day — had a 32% lower risk of cirrhosis, a 47% lower risk of liver cancer and a 42% lower risk of dying from liver disease.

MRI scans showed coffee drinkers also had less liver fat, inflammation and scarring, while blood tests pointed to healthier liver function.

But researchers stressed that these findings are not a recommendation to drink five or more cups of coffee a day.

They said benefits actually began with just one to two cups a day and appeared strongest at three to four cups daily.

“Our findings support moderate coffee consumption for people who already enjoy and tolerate it well,” said senior author Dr. Ju Dong Yang, medical director of the Liver Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. 

Both regular and decaf were linked to healthier liver outcomes, suggesting something besides caffeine may be at work.

While more research is needed, the authors said coffee consumption may complement healthy habits like exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol.

"The next step in our research is to identify the specific compounds in coffee that are responsible for these liver-protective associations," said study author Dr. Shelly Lu, director of the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Cedars-Sinai. "Our findings point to biological pathways involving inflammation and scarring and highlight molecular targets that future research can explore to better understand how coffee may influence liver health and who stands to benefit the most."

More information

The American Liver Foundation has more on maintaining a healthy liver.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, July 8, 2026