Study: Drinking coffee linked to lower liver cancer risk

They were also more likely to be previous or current smokers, consume higher levels of alcohol, have high cholesterol and were less likely to have chronic conditions such as diabetes, cirrhosis, gallstones, and peptic ulcers compared with non-coffee drinkers.
After taking these factors into account, the researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50 per cent less likely to develop HCC compared to those who did not drink coffee. Lead author Kim Tu Tran, postgraduate research student at Queen's University Belfast said: "People with a coffee-drinking habit could find keeping that habit going is good for their health."

"That is because coffee contains antioxidants and caffeine, which may protect against cancer. However, drinking coffee is not as protective against liver cancer as stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol or losing weight," Tran said. The researchers noted that findings for liver cancer are consistent with the evidence from the World Cancer Research Fund's report which concluded that there is ‘probable' evidence to suggest that coffee drinking lowers the risk of liver cancer. The rates of liver cancer have risen by 60 per cent in the UK in the last decade, the researchers noted.

They also investigated other digestive cancers, such as bowel and stomach, but found no consistent links with coffee drinking.

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