Drinking Coffee May Counteract Alcohol After All

Most of us probably know that having coffee in order to sober up after a bout of drinking doesn't really work. But according to a study of more than 125,000 people, coffee may help to counteract alcohol's poisonous effects on the liver and help to prevent cirrhosis.

According to the study, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 per cent, and four cups of coffee cut the risk by 80 per cent. This effect held true both for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.

It is unclear whether the effect stems from the caffeine in coffee or some other ingredient, according to study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanent Division of Research in Oakland, California. He noted however that there is an even better way to avoid cirrhosis: "The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking," he said.

Participants in the study ranged from those who did not drink alcohol at all (12 per cent of the total) to heavy drinkers (eight per cent). The researchers calculated the risk reduction rate for the whole group, not just the heavy drinkers.

Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis (an irreversible scarring of the liver that impairs the organ's ability to filter toxins from the blood). Dr. Klatsky said the findings may help to explain why some who drink heavily never develop cirrhosis.

The same study found that coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, regardless of whether or not they were heavy drinkers. The study also helped support other studies that indicate coffee may reduce the risk of liver cancer.

Cirrhosis of the liver kills more 27,000 Americans and sends nearly 400,000 to the hospital yearly.