Coffee, tea and a healthier liver

SINGAPORE – The common remedy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a combination of diet and exercise. Now, a new study adds increased caffeine intake to have an effect as well. This was suggested by a group of researchers headed by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) and the Duke University School of Medicine.

As defined by the Mayo Clinic, NAFLD is the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who don’t drink alcohol. It generally has no signs and symptoms nor complications. Whilst there are no specific treatments, regular exercise and a healthy diet are the best remedies. Otherwise, NAFLD could develop into a more serious form called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The more severe form could eventually lead to liver failure. About 70% of people who are obese or diabetic also have NAFLD. It is estimated that 30% of adults in the United States have this condition, and its prevalence is rising in Singapore.

Caffeine targets lipids

Paul Yen, M.D., associate professor and research fellow, and Rohit Sinha, Ph.D., of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School’s Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Programme in Singapore, led the study, which tested the effect of caffeine on liver using cell culture and mouse models. They said that caffeine stimulates the metabolisation of lipids stored in liver cells and decreased the fatty liver of mice that were fed a high-fat diet. They also concluded that drinking about four cups of coffee or tea a day may protect against the progression of NAFLD. The team’s findings will be released in the September issue of the journal Hepatology.

“This is the first detailed study of the mechanism for caffeine action on lipids in liver and the results are very interesting,” Dr Yen said. “Coffee and tea are so commonly consumed and the notion that they may be therapeutic, especially since they have a reputation for being “bad” for health, is especially enlightening.”

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