Coffee & Liver Detox

“Dr. Oz was talking about coffee being good for your liver if you drink. How do you detox with coffee?”

Well, I’m not sure which study he was referencing but I can tell you that a 2008 study from China found what numerous past studies have found—coffee may offer some protection against liver cancer.

How Coffee Protects The Liver

If researchers are correct, 3 separate components in coffee seem to be responsible:

• Diterpenes
• Caffeine
• Chlorogenic Acid

This goes directly against the advice found on a lot of “natural” web sites. Visit any of the big natural health forums and you’ll see all kinds of advice about the bad effects of coffee, tips for “weaning” yourself from the caffeine and—if the authors are really hardcore—advice on how to detox yourself from this dangerous and oft-abused “drug”.

Now, it should go without saying that this study is NOT a license to abuse either alcohol or coffee. But the next time you read some hysterical rantings on another “natural” web site about the “bad” effects of caffeine just remember that YOU know that coffee isn’t something you need to “detox” from your body. In fact, coffee may just be OK after all.

Ultimately, the only person qualified to counsel you about liver cancer and the potential protective benefits of coffee isn’t an herbalist on the web or some doctor on a afternoon talk show. Only your own physician can give you medical advice. If you’d like more information about this topic give your doctor a call.

References:

Tao, K., et al. (2008). The multifaceted mechanisms for coffee’s anti-tumorigenic effect on liver. Medical Hypotheses.