Coffee may help combat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a conference heard yesterday.
This is because coffee reduces the permeability of the gut, according to Italian researchers.
The findings, reported to the International Liver Congress, come from a study of laboratory mice.
Researchers found that adding coffee to a high fat diet reduce weight gain and cholesterol levels as well as the amount of fat in liver cells.
Researcher Vincenzo Lembo, of the University of Napoli, Italy, said: "Previous studies have confirmed how coffee can reverse the damage of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease but this is the first to demonstrate that it can influence the permeability of the intestine.
"The results also show that coffee can reverse NAFLD-related problems such as ballooning degeneration, a form of liver cell degeneration."
Professor Laurent Castera, secretary general of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, said: "Italy is famous for its coffee and this Italian study has reinforced our knowledge on the link between it and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
"Although not suggesting that we should consume greater levels of coffee, the study offers insights that can help future research into and understanding of the therapeutic role coffee can play in combatting NAFLD."
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