Coffee good for some cirrhosis patients

Suffereres of certain forms of liver cirrhosis can reduce their chances of dying by 66 per cent by drinking at least two cups of coffee a day, a new study by a Singapore team claims.

More than 63,000 local Chinese people were surveyed on their dietary and lifestyle habits between 1993 and 1998, and researchers kept tabs on the group for nearly 15 years before tabulating the results.

Cirrhosis - or scarring of the liver - is usually caused by alcohol, fatty liver disease or the hepatitis B virus. In the study, coffee consumption did not significantly lower the risk of death in people with viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis.

However, those with cirrhosis caused by alcohol or fatty liver disease saw their risk of death drop dramatically with frequent coffee drinking.

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