Coffee can cut risk of liver damage

Drinking coffee and tea regularly may protect against liver fibrosis, a scarring of the liver.

Doctors at Erasmus University Medical Centre in the netherlands gave 2,424 people over the age of 45 various tests that checked liver health and then questioned them about their eating habits.

results found that those who drank more than three cups of coffee or tea a day had significantly less scarring of the liver, irrespective of other lifestyle traits.

One theory is that chemicals called polyphenols in tea and coffee, as well as caffeine may slow the growth of cells that damage the liver. Liver disease is the thirdlargest cause of premature death in the Uk.