SUNDAY June 28, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A prospective study by Finnish researchers suggests that drinking coffee may reduce risk of cancer in the liver.

The study showed that those who drank high amounts of coffee were less likely to develop liver cancer.   Also, those who had a high level of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase or GGT were at a higher risk of the disease.

For the study, Gang Hu at the University of Helsinki and colleagues surveyed 60,323 Finish participants aged 25 to 74 who were cancer-free when entering the study between 1972 and 2002. Participants were followed up through June 2006.

Data on subsequent cancer diagnoses was collected from the Finnish Cancer Registry.   During the 19 years of follow-up, 128 participants were diagnosed with liver cancer.

There was an inverse association between coffee drinking and the risk of primary liver cancer, the study found.   Those who consumed the highest amounts of coffee were up to 68 percent less likely to develop liver cancer than those who drank least amounts.

Additionally, higher levels of serum GGT were found among those with liver cancer.   Those who had high levels of GGT were 3 times more likely to have liver cancer.

The association between drinking coffee and risk of liver cancer was consistent in the subjects at any level o serum GGT, according to the researchers.

Carlo La Vecchia of Milan says in an accompanying editorial that Hu's new study confirms the inverse relationship between coffee drinking and liver cancer risk, but it remains unknown whether the association is causal. This means that drinking coffee may not necessarily lower the risk.

Source:

Hu et al. Joint effects of coffee consumption and serum gamma ‐ glutamyltransferase on the risk of liver cancer . Hepatology, 2008; 48 (1): 129 DOI: 10.1002/hep.22320