New research suggests that drinking coffee may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study, conducted by the University of Coimbra and published in Nutrients, is the first to examine the potential independent mechanisms of both caffeine and non-caffeine components in reducing the severity of NAFLD, a frequent complication associated with T2D.
The study surveyed 156 middle-aged, borderline-obese participants on their coffee intake and collected 24-hour urine samples to measure caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites. The results showed that subjects with higher caffeine levels were less likely to have liver fibrosis, while higher levels of non-caffeine coffee components were significantly associated with reduced fatty liver index scores. The study suggests that for overweight T2D patients, a higher intake of coffee is associated with less severe NAFLD.
Previous research has suggested that caffeine intake is associated with decreased liver fibrosis in NAFLD and other chronic liver conditions. Other coffee components, including polyphenols, have been found to reduce oxidative stress in the liver, which can in turn reduce the risk of fibrosis. These factors may also improve glucose homeostasis and alleviate the severity of T2D.
“Due to changes in modern diet and lifestyle, there is an increase in obesity rates and incidence of both T2D and NAFLD, which can ultimately develop into more severe and irreversible conditions, burdening healthcare systems,” said corresponding author of the study, John Griffith Jones, PhD., Senior Researcher in the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra. “Our research is the first to observe that higher cumulative amounts of both caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites in urine are associated with a reduced severity of NAFLD in overweight people with T2D.”
The study was sponsored by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC).