Health Watch: Caffeine & Hepatitis C

A recent study published this month in the journal Hepatalogy indicates that a daily intake of about 308mg of caffeine (equal to what's found in 2.25 cups of regular coffee) had a positive impact on liver fibrosis. Based on behavioral questionnaires combined with the regular test results of 177 patients with liver disease, the study found that people with a lower level of the scarring that can lead to cirrhosis had a higher level of caffeine intake via coffee. But while the data suggests that coffee itself might have some kind of hand in it as well, the numbers of the study are low enough to question the reliability of the data, given that 71% of those studied were coffee drinkers. Further analysis is required to determine if caffeine therapy on its own is beneficial, or if there is an additional element present in coffee that also plays a part.