Green coffee bean extract and Hep C

[WiiU]

I am wondering if it is safe to take green coffee bean extract while having Hep C? I am not on any treatments as of yet.

[orphanedhawk]

Not sure about the supplement but drinking coffee is good for people with hep C and it's good for your liver.

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2011/0621_2011_a.html

Coffee Improves Response to Hepatitis C Treatment

SUMMARY
Drinking more coffee -- but not tea -- was associated with greater likelihood of response to hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon/ribavirin in the HALT-C study.


By Liz Highleyman

Over years or decades, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can progress to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. A number of previous studies have found that higher consumption of caffeine or coffee specifically is associated with improved liver health and slower disease progression, but its relationship to hepatitis C treatment response is not fully understood.

As described in the June 2011 issue of Gastroenterology, Neal Freedman from the National Cancer Institute and colleagues looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and treatment response in the HALT-C (Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis) trial, which was designed to show whether long-term pegylated interferon maintenance therapy could reduce the risk of liver disease progression in non-responders.

The analysis included 885 participants with bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis (Ishak stage F3-F6) who did not achieve sustained response to prior antiviral therapy. In the HALT-C lead-in phase, they were re-treated with 180 mcg/week pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys) plus 1000-1200 mg/day weight-adjusted ribavirin. At week 24, non-responders were randomly assigned to either discontinue treatment or continue on low dose (90 mcg/week) pegylated interferon monotherapy.

Based on food questionnaires, the researchers recorded participants' coffee consumption during the past year before re-treatment, categorizing it as none, < 1 cup per day, 1 to < 3 cups per day, or 3 or more cups per day. About 15% of patients were non-drinkers and about the same proportion drank 3 or more cups.

Treatment response was assessed at week 12 (early virologic response or EVR), week 20, week 48 (end-of-treatment response), and week 72 (sustained virologic response or SVR).

Results
People who drank 3 or more cups of coffee per day had double the drop in HCV RNA viral load from baseline compared with non-drinkers (median 4.0 vs 2.0 log, respectively).
About 60% of patients who drank the most coffee tolerated full-dose treatment, compared with about 50% of non-drinkers.
In an unadjusted analysis, the heaviest coffee drinkers were about 3 times more likely than non-drinkers to respond to treatment.

[flyinlynn]

Hi

From: http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=132201

Safety Issues  
GCBE is thought to be a safe substance. In human trials, no significant adverse effects have been seen.

In theory, the caffeine content of GCBE could potentially cause problems for some people. However, since GCBE contains only about 10% caffeine by weight, a high daily dose contains no more than about 20% of the caffeine content of a strong cup of coffee.

Maximum safe doses in pregnant or nursing women, young children, or people with liver or kidney disease have not been established.

Use at your own risk. How much liver damage do you have? Have you had a liver biopsy? We all are ill with liver disease at various levels of damage and have to be very careful of what we put in our bodies. What wouldn't hurt a health person could greatly harm us. I would recommend to ask your Doctor.

Good luck with your treatment
Lynn