Does this mean I can start drinking again?

[Reba 2]

Coffee cuts damage from alcohol: Study

Cirrhosis rate lowered 20% for each cup drunk

Unclear if caffeine is the protective ingredient in drink

Jun. 13, 2006. 09:36 AM

CARLA K. JOHNSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO—Coffee may counteract alcohol's poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis, researchers say.

In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 per cent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 per cent.

The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.

It is unclear whether it is the caffeine or some other ingredient in coffee that provides the protection, said study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, an affiliate of an Oakland, Calif.-based health management organization (HMO).

Of course, there is a better way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Klatsky said.

"The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking" of alcohol, he said.

The participants ranged from teetotallers, who made up 12 per cent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 per cent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.

Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ's ability to filter toxins from the blood.

Klatsky said the new findings may help explain why some people's livers survive heavy alcohol use.

Hepatitis C and some inherited diseases can also cause cirrhosis. But the study found coffee did not protect the liver from those other causes of scarring.

The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Coffee's effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.

The findings, published in yesterday's Archives of Internal Medicine, a publication of the American Medical Association, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer.

The data came from members of a California HMO. Members' coffee consumption was noted only at the beginning of the study, which the researchers admit is a limitation. They were followed for an average of 14 years.

The researchers found no reduced risk of cirrhosis for tea drinkers. Tea has less caffeine and there were fewer heavy tea drinkers in the study, so if caffeine is the protective ingredient, an effect may not have shown up for tea, Klatsky said.

from TheStar.com

So, if I drink 3 mugs of coffee per day (about 10 oz or more each mug) how much alcohol can I drink per day?

[Jenn! 918]

Cool. Pass the Irish Coffee, please.

[john_and_marlene 162]

If one cup = 20% reduction and 4 cups = 80% reduction, then I think I'll just opt for 5 cups and drink all I want.

[Jenn! 918]

If one cup = 20% reduction and 4 cups = 80% reduction, then I think I'll just opt for 5 cups and drink all I want.

I'm going to have 6 cups, drink all I want, AND have a super-liver!

[john_and_marlene 162]

After drinking all we want, we'll need the 6 cups of coffee the next morning

[Reba 2]

Cool. Pass the Irish Coffee, please.

aha, so if we drink Irish Coffee, then we negate the effect of both, and its like we're drinking nothing!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

If one cup = 20% reduction and 4 cups = 80% reduction, then I think I'll just opt for 5 cups and drink all I want.

I'm going to have 6 cups, drink all I want, AND have a super-liver!

LOL (really). mmmmm Irish Coffee. The way to a 'super liver'.

[KarenCee 3]

Oh thank god! I can drink my coffee and not feel bad about it. I should even take a copy of this to my dr so she'll stop fussing at me about my coffee intake Now if only Tim's was here in the South....

[Nessa 23]

aha, so if we drink Irish Coffee, then we negate the effect of both, and its like we're drinking nothing!

oooh yeah

[Welshcookie 17]

PHEW.......everything is good with the world.....

[almaty 19]

PHEW.......everything is good with the world.....

i agree..irish coffee..bailey and coffee...aw...

[mawilson 2,133]

The answer is 'YES'. Alcohol is good for you -- in moderation, of course.

[jen&darcy 0]

I am so bummed. I just got back from the doctor about an hour ago and was told I have to cut out all caffeine. Ya ya been told that before because of the seriousness of my migraines. Well now it is affecting my heart. This so sucks! I tried to negotiate 1 cup of coffee every other day. He didn't see my humor.

[Reba 2]

well that bites. Maybe you need a second opinion?