In the news: All Types of Coffee & Tai Chi May Help Combat Fatty Liver Disease

Follow-up on Fatty Liver: Coffee & Tai Chi

Last month’s Staying Healthy focused on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and summarized a study suggesting that the Med diet with extra polyphenols can help fight the build-up of fat in the liver. To follow-up, a new study indicates that compounds in coffee might also be of help in combatting this condition and other chronic liver problems as well. Another study found that Tai Chi is just as good as aerobics and weight training to slim down the waistline.

Previous studies have linked coffee drinking with lower rates of chronic liver disease, but not much is known about the effects of different types of coffee, including decaf, instant and ground coffees, which vary in chemical composition. Researchers from the Universities of South Hampton and Edinburgh in the UK set out to learn more about the effects of different coffee types on chronic liver disease(1).

To do this, they used data from nearly half a million participants in the UK Biobank study who were followed over 10 years. Of the participants more than ¾ drank coffee regularly (median intake: 2 cups/ day).

Comparing coffee drinkers (all types of coffee and amounts combined) vs. non-drinkers, the investigators found 21% decreased risk of chronic liver disease, and a 20% reduction in risk of chronic or fatty liver disease. The risk of dying from chronic liver disease was reduced by 49%.

The associations for each coffee type separately (decaf, instant and ground including espresso) were similar to the associations seen for all types of coffee combined, though ground coffee appeared to have the largest effect.

The maximum protective effect was seen at around 3-4 cups daily. Ground coffee has high levels of certain compounds (kahweol and cafestol) which have been shown to be effective in animal studies of chronic liver disease. Caffeine and chlorogenic acids in coffee may also contribute to coffee’s beneficial effects on the liver. But the authors point out that since a protective effect was seen for all types of coffee (including decaf), there is likely a complex relationship involving more than one of coffee’s active compounds.

Some people avoid coffee because they may be sensitive to caffeine, feeling that it makes them jittery. The good news: this study suggests that decaf can be protective too. As studies suggest that those at risk of glaucoma should keep caffeine intake low, decaf is a good choice for those at risk of this condition too.

For those who worry that caffeine (in moderate amounts, 2 cups/day) can cause heart arrhythmias, a new study from UC San Francisco – the largest investigation of its kind – found no evidence that caffeine consumption increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms even in those genetically disposed to metabolize coffee differently(2).

Tai Chi for Controlling the Waistline

Abdominal obesity (larger waistline, higher waist-to- hip ratio and BMI) appears to be more of a risk for fatty liver disease than generally being obese or over-weight. But conventional exercise programs to shrink the waist and drop weight can be daunting for some with limited mobility, arthritis, or medical problems. Enter tai chi – a gentler practice suitable even for inactive, overweight, and older people.

Researchers in Hong Kong(3) assigned nearly 550 people with waistlines greater than 35.4 “for men and 31.5” for women to one of 3 groups: no exercise, brisk walking plus weights (3x weekly), or tai chi (3 hours per week) for 12 weeks.

Compared to no exercise, the tai chi group lost an average 0.7” around the waist while the conventional exercisers lost 0.5” on average. Both exercise groups lost weight and had better levels of good HDL cholesterol. Bottom line: Practicing tai chi, drinking coffee, and following a polyphenol enriched Med diet may be a potent trio to help beat fatty liver disease.

References

1. Kennedy OJ, et al. All coffee types decrease the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in chronic liver disease: a UK Biobank study. BMC Public Health. 21:970, 2021.
2. Kim E-J, et al. Coffee consumption and incident tachyarrhythmias reported behavior, Mendelian randomization, and their interactions. JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 19, 2021
3. Siu PM, et al. Effects of tai chi or conventional exercise on central obesity in middle-aged and older Adults : A three-group randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. Published online May 2021.