coffee may slow down liver disease

The post below about Dr. Nancy's irresponsible remarks concerning HCV transmisson, diverts our attention from the really good news.
Drink coffee for your liver!

US News and World report

Coffee May Slow Liver Disease
Finding could be good news for those with hepatitis C, researchers say
Posted October 23, 2009


FRIDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Coffee slows the progression of advanced liver disease in people with chronic hepatitis C, new research finds.
The study included 766 patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who were asked to report their intake of coffee, green tea and black tea. The patients were seen every three months during the nearly four-year study, and liver biopsies were taken at 18 months and 3.5 years to determine the progression of liver disease.

  
Patients who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were 53 percent less likely to have liver disease progression than those who didn't drink coffee. Green and black tea didn't appear to have an effect, but tea consumption was low among the study participants, the researchers noted in the report published in the November issue of the journal Hepatology.
"This study is the first to address the association between liver disease progression related to hepatitis C and coffee intake," study leader Neal Freedman, of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said in a news release from the journal's publisher.
"Given the large number of people affected by HCV, it is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the progression of liver disease," Freedman added. "Although we cannot rule out a possible role for other factors that go along with drinking coffee, results from our study suggest that patients with high coffee intake had a lower risk of disease progression."
The study authors cautioned that the findings about coffee's benefits shouldn't be generalized to healthy people.
HCV infects about 2.2 percent of the worldwide population, including more than 3 million Americans. The virus is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States and is responsible for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths in the country each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[annieCinMD]

Wonder if it matters if it's decaf or not. I currently am drinking half caf because I'm still all wound up from treatment almost 3 months ago. Thanks for posting the informative side of this story, it's very interesting.

[charm27]

Thanks for posting this. I have read this before in different journals etc. Good to know..I drink 3 cups a day....

Very interesting hope its true in theory..

Hope your doing well!


Charm

[Rockerforlife]

This is mis- information,how do we know some people in the study have or didnt have progression of disease  because of the hepatitis just because they drank coffee and not tea,this is not proof,maybe this report is in cohots with the coffee industry

[Rockerforlife]

Coffee consumption is worldwide spread with few side effects. Interestingly, coffee intake has been inversely related to the serum enzyme activities gamma-glutamyltransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in studies performed in various countries. In addition, epidemiological results, taken together, indicate that coffee consumption is inversely related with hepatic cirrhosis; however, they cannot demonstrate a causative role of coffee with prevention of liver injury. Animal models and cell culture studies indicate that kahweol, diterpenes and cafestol (some coffee compounds) can function as blocking agents by modulating multiple enzymes involved in carcinogenic detoxification; these molecules also alter the xenotoxic metabolism by inducing the enzymes glutathione-S-transferase and inhibiting N-acetyltransferase. Drinking coffee has been associated with reduced risk of hepatic injury and cirrhosis, a major pathogenic step in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis, thus, the benefit that produces coffee consumption on hepatic cancer may be attributed to its inverse relation with cirrhosis, although allowance for clinical history of cirrhosis did not completely account for the inverse association. Therefore, it seems to be a continuum of the beneficial effect of coffee consumption on liver enzymes, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. At present, it seems reasonable to propose experiments with animal models of liver damage and to test the effect of coffee, and/or isolated compounds of this beverage, not only to evaluate the possible causative role of coffee but also its action mechanism. Clinical prospective double blind studies are also needed.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19825397?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[Bali05]

Yeah I want to believe that to.

The thing that speaks somehow against it is that blood microcirculation
is important for the liver and hepls to slow fibrosis according to some.
That is why moderate excersise is is recommended.
(Circulation). Caffeine however restricts blood vessels as far as I know
so that would speak against it.

[Rockerforlife]

I cant drink coffee,makes me sick.

[Rockerforlife]

Counteracts medications People who are taking drugs or any mediations for pain, obesity, hypertension or depression are advised not to drink coffee as all their efforts in getting well could be wasted. A patient with high fever can also be harmed by coffee and is better off drinking lemon juice or even tea


http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/The-Many-Dangers-Of-Comsuming-Coffee/704586


"How come we say 'It's colder than hell outside' when isn't it realistically always colder than hell since hell is supposed to be fire and brimstone?"

[rockin516]

that is really funny but it would be nice if true,but i use to drink so much coffee i shouldnt ever came down with this dz. haha rockin516

[Rockerforlife]

Its ok to drink in moderation,but to drink 3-5 cups a day i dont think is good,at least not for me,iused to drink it,but i cant stomach it since i quit,i love tea

[orphanedhawk]

Rock:
My heptologist who's part of a renown group at a liver clinic in S.F.,has no objections to coffee drinking.  Coffee is natural, coming from a lovely small tree. There are numerous claims about coffee's health benefits.
Like anything there are some of us that don't care for it  or our bodies don't get along with it but for the rest of us, it seems like an easy possible prevention to further liver damage.
You can have your blue-green algae. I'll stick to coffee.

One of the surgeons on my transplant team had recently come from the famous liver hospital in Paris. He claimed it was an accepted fact that coffee helps reduce replication of HCV.

I drink 4-6 cups per day of freshly ground coffee and think it's helping my liver.
I also walk several miles daily. Its called balance.

Annie:
There are so many different alkaloids in coffee that its hard to know what is the ingredient or group of ingredients that makes it beneficial and how the decaffeinating process changes it.

The bottom line to me is quality of life. I like java. I was happy to see this in print.
OH

[Rockerforlife]

Ok...you got me coffee is ok for you,its just i havnt drank it for quite some time and looks like the studies says roasting the coffee beans actually increases it antioxidants which i fing strange,most foods like nuts lose it...

Oxidative stress is involved in many neurodegenerative processes leading to age-related cognitive decline. Coffee, a widely consumed beverage, is rich in many bioactive components, including polyphenols with antioxidant potential. In this study, regular and decaffeinated samples of both roasted and green coffee all showed high hydrophilic antioxidant activity in vitro, whereas lipophilic antioxidant activities were on average 30-fold higher in roasted than in green coffee samples. In primary neuronal cell culture, pretreatment with green and roasted coffees (regular and decaffeinated) protected against subsequent H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress and improved neuronal cell survival (green coffees increased neuron survival by 78%, compared to 203% by roasted coffees). All coffee extracts inhibited ERK1/2 activation, indicating a potential attenuating effect in stress-induced neuronal cell death. Interestingly, only roasted coffee extracts inhibited JNK activation, evidencing a distinctive neuroprotective benefit. Analysis of coffee phenolic compounds revealed that roasted coffees contained high levels of chlorogenic acid lactones (CGLs); a significant correlation between CGLs and neuroprotective efficacy was observed (R(2) = 0.98). In conclusion, this study showed that roasted coffees are high in lipophilic antioxidants and CGLs, can protect neuronal cells against oxidative stress, and may do so by modulation of the ERK1/2 and JNK signaling pathways.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19772322?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[Mary4now]

Hey, I'm going with the coffee,  I know all the blue green algae stuff is supposed to be good, but I do like coffee, and I'm also wondering is decaf as good, I'm thinking it would have to be the water processed decaf.

[Rockerforlife]

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2009) — Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers according to a new study led by Neal Freedman, Ph.D., MPH, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study found that patients with hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis who did not respond to standard disease treatment benefited from increased coffee intake. An effect on liver disease was not observed in patients who drank black or green tea

[comeagain]

I have just stopped drinking coffee, 10 days today.

That is mainly because I can´t drink in moderation.
I have been drinking more than 2 L  strong coofee evreyday for more than 20 years.

Maybe it was my body who said I should because I was infected of HCV.

The fact is after been infected more than 35 years and also had a 12 years history of injecting speed and longer history of drinking my head of with alcohol, I still had very little liver damage in fact hardely none.

I can´t explain why my  biopsy 2007 showed stage 0 grade 1 and ( got infected 1972)
and neither could my doc he was sure I was at best stage 3 before biopsy.

Conclusion if you are infected could be vey good to drink a lot of coffee I supose also if you can drink it in a moderate manor its a good thing drinking aswell.

But if you  get to SVR like I have done and can´t drink moderately its better not to drink at al I believe.

I feel much calmer now when without it!!

ca

PS. I have been totally clean from alcohol and drugs since 1987

[susan400]

I drink coffee in the morning only.  I drink 3 cups of the joe!  I sprinkle in this yummy stuff called Cocopure...google it.  It tastes just like chocolate, because it is.  It's pure chocolate with green tea in it (but doesn't even have a green tea tasted to it), and Resveratol is in it, too.  No sugar and it's sweetened with Stevia.  I only sprinkle a minimal amount into my coffee and it gives it a yummy flavor and extra antioxidants to boot!  I also exercise like a crazy woman.  And I drink a cup of decaf. green tea in the afternoon.  No caffeine for me after this morning jolt.  I just need it to get me going in the morning.  It really hasn't affected me in any harmful way and I already had bridging fibrosis with I started this Cocopure thing.  Traditional medicine hasn't come up with anything to cure me yet, so why not enjoy my morning pleasure?  I don't go out boozing.  I'm not on cocaine or heroine.  I don't smoke cigarettes.  So, I'm totally okay with this....    BTW, I drink plenty of filtered water as well.  But, NO GREEN SLIMY ALGee   thank-you very much!!  No seaweed for this girly.  No snails, no puppy dog tails, no liver n-onions.....   LOL       Susan400

[Trish77]

I'm with you.  I have a terrible coffee habit.  I couldn't have gotten through treatment without it though couldn't drink it during the nausea phase and my hep doctor didn't see any reason for me to give up my coffee either.  Now that I'm SVR, I'm thinking I'm going to quit - for the same reason as you.  I'm incapable of drinking it in moderation.  It's all or nuthin.  I have quit at different times in the past and I do notice that I feel calmer without it.  That makes sense - I converse in sign language and at times I was called upon to translate (not interpret, that's a whole other skill level) and I would not drink coffee prior to that as it impacts the nerve endings and would make my finger movements jerkier.  I could sign much smoother if I had less caffeine in my system.  

I'm planning to give it up also, just not quite yet. :)

All the best to you.

Trish

[orphanedhawk]

Comeagain:
I have a friend like you. She did all kinds of dangerous things years ago but can't tolerate alcohol. She drinks tons of the worst kind of coffee and eats junk food. When she got a test for HCV the doctor said her liver was in such good shape,why did she think to get tested?  
So, she has HCV and her LFTs are always normal.

Congrats to you on achieving SVR!

Susan:
I drink it black but that cococpure sounds good. I do use stevia in my oatmeal.
I drink 3-4 mugs but then I measured and found out each mug is a cup and a half, so...

When I had cirrhosis I could barely get down a half cup, don't know why.

Rock: I used to live in Hawaii and knew lots of coffee growers. There are many ways to process the stuff,not all bad.

Like the guy from Life of Brian, sang. . . "always look on the bright side of life"

OH

[Marcia2202]

The first person who came into my mind when I saw this post was you.

I remember we were discussing this subject last year and you saying that you were almost certain that the coffee had prevented the progression of damage to your liver.

I was never a real coffee drinker and couldn't stand just the thought of it on tx.

After tx I started drinking one cup per day, in the afternoon or at night. I make myself a nice latte (espresso and vanilla flavored soy milk with thick foam) mmmmmmmm

[Rockerforlife]

I love the coffe taste and smell,but i cant drink it,ive triedd many times but i jus dont like thr "buzz"

'There comes a time in every man's life, and I've had plenty of them."
Casey Stengel

[hopeful51]

WOW  this has definitly been grounds for debate.
You all espresso some very steamy points.
Now nobody wants to go off half caffed about this subject.
So I bean thinkin If you all lived in Seattle you could come to my coffee stand.
And we can lightin' up with a non fat half caf sugar free vanilla latte.
Drink more coffee.
Hopeful51

[Rockerforlife]

I jusy ran out and bought me some irish cream bean coffee and just grined my own beans,even tho it has artificial flavour in it..what the hell....time to celebrate for me,i just got a SVR-12

[Rockerforlife]

Sorry,i just dumped the coffee down the drain,i cannot drink it,make me want to throw up.

[comeagain]

I´m still coffee free, 14 days tomorrow hurray.
I most say I`m feeling more and more calmer every day.

Terrible habbit  the high coffe intake and so difficult to quit.
Just like Trish I have been trying to do that endless of times before.

BTW thx for the well wishes , Trish it seems like we are a lot alike when it comes to coffee addiction.
Good luck with quiting when you have reached your coffee cup bottom.

This time I made a solid decision to quit for good if possible.
(one day at the time of course sometimes one hour)

Marcia "I make myself a nice latte (espresso and vanilla flavored soy milk with thick foam) mmmmmmmm"  you seems to be the type that can handle it but your a newbe so you never can tell can you.

Never the less worth a try though so enjoy bon apetit!!
BTW thx for thinking of me first LOL

The weakest drugs seems to be the most difficult to stop .
Ciggarets that was hard , don´t know if I ever would have managed if it hasn´t been for leg problems and thats was 18 years ago I stopped that.

Coffey I think was if possible even harder and I ´m not even there yet .


ca

[Rockerforlife]

Nothing like a cup of organic black tea with organic sugar and organic milk....AND  distilled water

[GoofyDad]

"your coffee cup bottom"

Hmmm.... I've never seen Trish in a bathing suit, or even a burka for that matter.... but somehow I pictured a different shape. More fruit like, I guess.....  

----------------------------------------------------
Congrats, Comeagain! It's hard for me to think of a time when I might be separated from coffee or dark chocolate.  

[susan400]

Mmmmm, as I sit here reading this, this morning, I'm sipping on that 1st cup of joe in the morning..., mine is loaded up with skim milk and a little bit of my Cocopure and I'm enjoying it....,    too bad Rocker,   go drink your organic green tea and enjoy yourself.

Susan400

[Bill1954]

I requested Medhelp move this thread; they deleted my comment/request when they moved it. I felt it no longer met the criteria for the HCV forum, although the original subject manner did. It became an embarrassment to our community, unfortunately. I agree; this place needs a nitwit patrol…

Bill

[orphanedhawk]

I think when a person overposts and argues, it takes away from the benefit of this forum especially for people undergoing tx or severely ill, who may be too brainfogged to wade though the, uhhh, ****.

As Bill pointed out, now potentially valuable information will be missed by those who are only looking on the other side.

Back  to the subject of coffee:
  As much as I like my java, I'd be the first to admit that it is addictive.
The one time I quit, I spent a week with killer headaches. If I was SVR I might reduce the amount I drink. In the meantime, I sit here typing cup by my side.

[nygirl7]

they deleted my comment/request when they moved it. "

They deleted mine too but tjhat's not that uncommon sometimes for me.

[nygirl7]

Very good post OH I'm posting a second post just to make it a point....over posting is something that annoys everyone on here and most people do get extremely annoyed about it. In fact it make the forum look like it has hardly any members too and who wants to join a dead forum?

I don't think I need to make a third post to bring this point up any further nor attach any youtube video either.

[portann]

I remember a long and debated coffee thread last year, worth bringing into your thread's coffee mix. Its relevance may only be for those concerned with the double whammy of liver and insulin issues and I think would need to be weighed accordingly:


http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Coffee-proven-to-be-a-liver-protector/show/693469

Of note in that thread is Jim's response to a member who brought up the issue of coffee and insulin:

"I think I've stated in one of these threads that coffee is more times than not linked with diabetes, so really no disagreement if one has diabetes and  if that's what a patient's plan calls for. However, not in every case as per the study referenced below with type II diabetes. But in any case, given the recent paper (and others similar) in AASLD, I think those of us with an increased risk of HCC (liver cancer) should pause before putting down that cup of Java. The jury is by no means in and it does appear it's not necessarily the caffeine since tea does not appear to confer the same benefit. Here's one balanced look at what's in the coffee pot...
http://www.liversupport.com/wordpress/2006/06/coffees-liver-benefits/ "

[can-do-man]

Nygirl said........They deleted mine too but tjhat's not that uncommon sometimes for me.
-------------------------------------

Shoot girl they delete mine before they are even posted. :)

[nygirl7]

:) How's it feel to be really really done with treatment Cando?  Now if you want you can have all the coffee you feel you need ;)

Can't wait for your year post already!

[can-do-man]

It seems strange being off tx, a little numb and kinda scarey. After so long it became a crutch......... As for coffee never drink the stuff i always heard it makes hair grow on your butt.

[Marcia2202]

Guess I gotta keep those wax strips handy... since I started drinking coffee.

How fast do you think the growth rate would be with one cup a day?

[susan400]

I just had a Dr's appt.yesterday.  Despite my coffee drinking, my blood pressure is perfect.  My blood sugar is perfect and is in normal range and my A1C has been normal for the past year.  I think I'll keep right on drinking my coffee and Cocopure!!!  LOL.

Susan400