Koffie
en thee tegen leveraandoeningen.*
Mensen
die een hoger risico lopen op het ontwikkelen van een chronische leveraandoening
hebben tot wel 50% minder kans hierop als ze dagelijks minimaal twee koppen
koffie of thee drinken. Dit lagere risico geldt niet voor iedereen doch alleen
voor mensen die in de risicogroep zitten voor het ontwikkelen van chronische
leverziektes zoals cirrose, fibrose en hepatitis. In deze risicogroep zitten
mensen als gevolg van alcoholproblemen, overgewicht, diabetes of teveel aan
ijzer. Dit blijkt uit een studie onder bijna 10.000 mensen over een periode van
19 jaar. Geen verband werd gevonden tussen koffie en thee consumptie en het
ontstaan van de leverziektes vette lever en virale hepatitis.
Coffee
And Tea Can Reduce The Risk Of Chronic Liver Disease
A
study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
journal Gastroenterology found that people at
high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce
their risk for developing chronic liver disease
significantly by drinking more than two cups of
coffee or tea daily. This preventative effect was only seen in people at higher
risk for liver disease due to heavy alcohol intake, being overweight
or having diabetes or iron overload. This is the first study to take a
prospective look at the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and
chronic liver disease in the general U.S. population.
"While
it is too soon to encourage patients to increase their coffee and tea intake,
the findings of our study potentially offer people at high-risk for developing
chronic liver disease a practical way to decrease that risk," said
Constance E. Ruhl, MD, PhD, who conducted the study with colleague, James E.
Everhart, MD, MPH. "In addition, we hope the findings will offer guidance
to researchers who are studying liver disease progression."
Chronic
liver disease is an ongoing injury to the cells of the liver, resulting in inflammation
that lasts longer than six months. Its causes are numerous, including viruses,
obesity, alcohol, metabolic or immunologic abnormalities, and side effects from
various medications. Chronic liver diseases include cirrhosis, fibrosis and
hepatitis. According to the most recent estimates from the National Center for
Health Statistics, nearly 28,000 people die of chronic liver disease each year
and there are more than 5 million prevalent cases of chronic liver disease and
cirrhosis in the United States.
Researchers
at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and
Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. conducted an analysis of patients using
the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) and the
NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study. The study population included 9,849
participants whose coffee and tea intake was evaluated and who were followed for
a median of 19 years. In this analysis, coffee and tea intake was measured in
cups, ranging from 0 to 16 cups per day with a median of two cups per day.
Findings showed that those who consumed more than two cups of coffee or tea per
day developed chronic liver disease at half the rate of those who drank less
than one cup each day.
Over
the last few years, there has been a growing body of evidence that coffee
decreases the risk of elevated liver enzymes, cirrhosis and liver cancer. This
study provides support for a protective effect of coffee on chronic liver
disease and cirrhosis, and extends these findings to the general U.S. population.
However, the study does not provide evidence that coffee and tea protect against
chronic liver disease from individual causes, such as fatty liver disease or
viral hepatitis.
"In
the analysis, we determined that caffeine was partly responsible for the
protective effect found. We believe that investigations into the mechanism of
action of caffeine for protecting the liver and its clinical application are
needed," said Dr. Ruhl.
###
This
study was supported by a contract from the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Disease of the National Institutes of Health.
More information on liver disease is available at www.gastro.org. (December 2005)
