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World J Hepatol. May 28, 2017; 9(15): 689-696
Published online May 28, 2017. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i15.689
Coffee: The magical bean for liver diseases
Ryan D Heath, Mihir Brahmbhatt, Asli C Tahan, Jamal A Ibdah, Veysel Tahan
Ryan D Heath, Mihir Brahmbhatt, Asli C Tahan, Jamal A Ibdah, Veysel Tahan, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MU 65201, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the acquisition of data, writing, and revision of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Veysel Tahan, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Dr, Columbia, MU 65201, United States. tahanv@health.missouri.edu
Telephone: +1-573-8846044 Fax: +1-573-8844595
Received: December 26, 2016
Peer-review started: December 30, 2016
First decision: February 20, 2017
Revised: March 31, 2017
Accepted: April 18, 2017
Article in press: April 20, 2017
Published online: May 28, 2017
Processing time: 143 Days and 23 Hours
Abstract

Coffee has long been recognized as having hepatoprotective properties, however, the extent of any beneficial effect is still being elucidated. Coffee appears to reduce risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, reduce advancement of fibrotic disease in a variety of chronic liver diseases, and perhaps reduce ability of hepatitis C virus to replicate. This review aims to catalog the evidence for coffee as universally beneficial across a spectrum of chronic liver diseases, as well as spotlight opportunities for future investigation into coffee and liver disease.

Keywords: Coffee; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver; Hepatitis; Fatty liver

Core tip: Coffee is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the United States, with about 75% of the population reporting consuming it. Coffee has also long been associated with hepatoprotective effects, the extent of which there appears to be an ever growing body of benefits as well as a wide variety of etiologies of chronic liver disease it may positively affect. This article reviews recent available literature and summarizes the potential positive or preventive effects of coffee on liver malignancy as well as chronic liver disease secondary to alcohol, viral hepatitis, and fatty infiltration. These studies collectively suggest a simple lifestyle modification patients may be able to incorporate to enhance their own health.