You Need A Healthy Liver, And Coffee Can Help
Are you experiencing extreme fatigue, weakness, or brain fog? Your liver may not be functioning properly.
Have you noticed any swelling in your legs or ankles? This could be due to liver problems.
What about frequent nausea or loss of appetite? Do you bruise easily? Experiencing dry or itchy skin? These symptoms could all be due to an unhealthy liver as well.
Tasked with nearly 500 incredibly important roles, the largest organ within your body, your liver, is needed for whole body health.
Thankfully there are many ways to improve or maintain liver health, and one of the most delicious ways to do so is by simply enjoying a cup, or more, of coffee!
Coffee has been proven to both prevent and repair liver damage, reduce your risk of liver cancer, slow the progression of some liver diseases, and more.
So, let’s enjoy a cup of joe together now (I’ve got a piping hot cup of Lifeboost Medium Roast in hand.) as we discover why you need a healthy liver, and how coffee can help!
The Importance of Liver Health
If I asked you, “Which organs in your body are the most important,” what comes to mind?
You likely gravitated towards crucial organs like your heart or lungs as you pondered such a question. But, did you know that your liver is a vital organ as well? In fact, some would argue the liver is the most crucial organ in your body!
Your liver is located below your ribs on the upper right side. It’s roughly the size of a football and weighs approximately 3 pounds.
And as we mentioned above, this organ performs more than 500 vital functions including (but certainly not limited to):
- Removing toxins and waste from your bloodstream, filtering all of the blood in your body
- Regulating blood sugar levels
- Creating and storing the nutrients your body needs for survival
- Protecting your body from infection
- Producing bile which is needed for digestion, proper fat absorption, and more
- Producing proteins that carry hormones, vitamins, and enzymes throughout the body
But, to better understand this organ, let’s break down the above list, adding some other impressive functions along the way.
Your liver is technically a part of the digestive system, but it works with many other organs and systems as well.
It has two main sources to receive its blood supply: that which flows into your liver carrying nutrient-rich blood from your digestive system, and that which flows out of your liver carrying oxygenated blood to your heart.
All of the blood leaving your stomach and intestines must pass through the liver. And, some liken this organ’s job here to that of a chemical factory primarily focused on processing and inspection.
Regarding processing, your liver breaks down the nutrients and other chemicals within your blood, transforming them so they can easily be used by your body.
It also keeps the amounts of these substances in your blood at healthy levels.
Regarding inspection, your liver is able to differentiate between the good and the bad in your blood.
It takes the toxins and waste products there and excretes these harmful substances as bile, which is then used as a digestive aid, breaking down fats and preparing them for absorption and/or digestion.
Your liver then takes the good things, the nutrients, and puts them back into your bloodstream to be carried throughout your body.
This organ also produces what is known as albumin, a protein that carries needed hormones, vitamins, and enzymes throughout your body while also ensuring fluids within your bloodstream do not leak out into surrounding tissues.
Even blood clotting is regulated by your liver, as the bile produced by this organ absorbs vitamin K, crucial in coagulating blood. If your liver doesn’t produce enough bile, your blood is unable to properly clot.
Concerning macronutrients, the bile produced in the liver breaks down fats making them easier to digest.
Bile also breaks down proteins for use in the body, and as proteins are dependent upon amino acid levels, your liver works to keep these levels in check as well.
Then, the liver actually stores carbohydrates as glycogen, which your body can later break down into glucose, a substance that regulates blood sugar levels and gives you short surges of energy when released into the bloodstream.
Vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 as well as minerals like iron and copper are all stored within the liver.
And, the iron stored there is obtained from hemoglobin that your liver metabolizes. This same iron which will be used in the making of your next generation of blood cells.
A crucial component of your immune system, the cells that destroy viruses, bacteria, and other harmful organisms are found in abundance in your liver, enabling this organ to detect, capture, and clear pathogens that enter your body through the gut.
Even some of your hormones are regulated in the liver, as it removes any excess in the body to balance sex and thyroid hormones as well as stress-related regulators like cortisol and other adrenal hormones.
Now, keep in mind, the functioning listed thus far, while intricate and inclusive of multiple processes, still only covers a portion of the nearly 500 vital roles of this powerful organ. And, if all of these functions weren’t impressive enough, let’s take a brief moment to consider this astounding fact: Your liver can regenerate!
The liver is the only soft, internal organ that can completely regenerate.
And, as long as your liver is healthy, even with only 25% of tissue remaining, it can fully regenerate, “regrowing to its previous size and ability, without loss of function during the growth process.”
While this is powerfully impressive, the operative word there is…healthy.
In order for the liver to regenerate, in order for the liver to function properly, bringing your body all of the needed actions and benefits we’ve listed thus far, it must be healthy, when it is compromised, your overall health and wellbeing suffers.
What Happens When Liver Health is Compromised
While the laundry list of ways your liver functions and benefits your body is wonderful, this also means there’s nearly an equally long list of ways this organ can be negatively affected.
As the liver filters all that proceeds from your stomach and small intestine, primarily through the blood, it’s vitally important to know this: all that enters your body can affect the health of your liver.
Alcohol, drugs, cigarette smoke, these are all poisons your liver must filter out of your body.
Pollution in the air, water, and soil enters your body as toxins your liver must filter.
Processed foods, excessive amounts of sugar, stress, obesity, even a sedentary lifestyle are all taxing on your liver.
Most of these listed here lead to inflammation, and this wreaks havoc on your liver, even believed to be a key cause of fatty liver disease, a condition plaguing nearly 24% of all adult Americans.
Years ago, alcohol was believed to be the primary contributor to fatty liver disease, a condition which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure caused by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol (alcohol abuse).
However, non alcoholic fatty liver disease is just as prevalent today. And, while the two are similar in pathology, non alcoholic fatty liver disease is not caused by alcohol, as the name suggests, but rather occurs when fat accumulates in the liver preventing this vital organ from functioning properly.
Obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, even certain prescription medications can also lead to fatty liver disease.
And, fat accumulation in the liver prevents it from doing its critical job of removing toxins. Then, when these build up, this can lead to cirrhosis, a hardening of the liver stemming from an abundance of scar tissue and long term damage to the organ.
This condition can also be caused by hereditary conditions, diabetes, or problems with immunity.
Hepatitis is another disease of the liver thought to be rooted in inflammation. Toxins, drug use, and alcohol abuse are also thought to cause hepatitis, and this disease can lead to liver cancer, liver failure, and more.
And, cholestasis is yet another disease of the liver, this one occurring when bile flow is obstructed, causing a build up of this substance.
Many of the above diseases of the liver are caused by what enters the body, but the liver is also prone to autoimmune diseases, where the body essentially attacks itself.
If this wasn’t enough liver gloom and doom, viruses and parasites found in contaminated food and water lead to damage within the liver. And, as many already know, tumors and cancers can be common in the liver as well.
Thankfully, coffee can have a powerfully positive impact on the health of your liver!!
Coffee for a Healthy Liver
Where and how does coffee come into the liver health equation?
Let’s just say, if you’re a coffee lover like more than 75% of Americans, now is when we get to the good news regarding liver health!
Studies have shown that regularly drinking coffee can lower your risk of all types of liver disease.
And, some studies have shown coffee can even be beneficial if you already have liver disease.
The benefits coffee offers your liver are thought to come from caffeine, antioxidants, and other compounds, meaning both regular and decaffeinated varieties can be beneficial.
The caffeine content of coffee helps your liver because as your body digests it, it creates a chemical called paraxanthine. And, this chemical slows the growth of scar tissues that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Caffeine can also help your liver by burning the fat that can build up in this organ, leading to non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The antioxidant content of coffee, regular and decaf, is thought to be responsible for how this beverage is able to reduce inflammation caused by liver disease thereby preventing any damage from progressing, which could lead to liver cancer or liver failure.
And like caffeine, the antioxidants found in coffee are able to keep fat from building up in the liver and causing disease.
Then, chlorogenic acid is a phenolic compound in coffee known to reverse damage to both the proteins and DNA in your liver.
And, kahweol and cafestol, natural diterpenes extracted from coffee, work together to help your liver perform its detoxing duties efficiently, their aid here reducing liver inflammation and blocking cancer-causing compounds.
Want to see these benefits in actions? Take a look at the following scientific studies proving coffee’s powerful effects on the liver:
- A 2013 study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology concluded that drinking 2 caffeinated cups of coffee daily reduced the risk of death from liver cancer by 40%, with an increase to 3 cups daily reducing the risk by yet another 10%.
- Drinking two or more cups of coffee daily in patients with pre-existing liver disease is associated with reduced instances of fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cell carcinoma, and overall morality.
- Multiple studies have found an association between coffee consumption and lowered liver enzyme levels, these levels often indicative of inflammation in the liver.
- A 2016 review found coffee to be effective at offsetting liver damage from alcohol and certain foods.
- Some experts have recommended 3 cups of coffee daily to prevent liver problems, with as many as 4-6 cups daily being helpful for those with hepatitis or fatty liver disease.
- Research shows that coffee drinkers (compared to those who don’t drink coffee at all) are 49% less likely to die of all types of liver disease.
- The WHO recezntly reviewed more than 1,000 studies in humans confirming “the regular moderate consumption of coffee may prevent liver cancer.”
- Research suggests consumers who drink low amounts of coffee may reduce their risk of chronic liver disease by 25-30%, while those drinking high amounts of coffee may reduce their risk of the same by up to 65%. (moderate consumption is typically defined as 3-5 cups daily)
- Studies from both the US and Italy suggest “coffee consumption is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cirrhosis with a potential risk reduction of 25-70%.”
Unfortunately, all coffee is not created equally. And, this is why drinking clean, healthy coffee is of paramount importance!
Mass-produced coffee is grown on deforested land, cleared for large plantations where coffee is produced quickly (to meet demand) in the sun with the use of harmful, even cancer-causing, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Some larger companies also incorporate the use of blends, where low quality coffee is mixed with higher quality beans to cut costs.
And, all of these practices mean one thing when it comes to the health of your liver, and your entire body: the healthy attributes of coffee are largely, if not wholly, negated.
The toxins present in such coffee both from the chemicals used in the growing process as well as the molds and mycotoxins present on such coffee beans are toxic to your body.
These include:
- ochratoxin A (linked to liver cancer)
- aflatoxin A/B1 (linked to liver cancer)
- glyphosate (highly linked to non alcoholic fatty liver disease)
- heavy metals (directly toxic to liver cells)
So, while you may be receiving the antioxidant benefits common to this blessed bean, you’re also consuming the very things that harm your health, heavily tax your liver, and lead to scarring, decreases in blood flow, and eventually causing disease, cancer, and liver failure.
In other words, all the stats we listed above could be for naught, if you’re consuming a cup of toxins instead of a cup of tasty, healthy coffee.
Lifeboost Coffee for Maximum Liver Health Benefits
To obtain all the wonderful benefits this magnificent brew has to offer your liver, your coffee must be free of the harmful elements that negate its benefits.
And, that’s why Lifeboost has created a trademarked process that ensures you’re getting a perfectly clean cup of coffee, each and every time.
We call that process TrustPure, meaning you can trust you’re getting a clean, pure cup because every bag of coffee you purchase is:
- Naturally grown to be low acid
- Single origin
- Grown in the shade, providing a canopy for migrating North American birds which act as a natural pesticide negating the use of any chemicals
- Grown sustainably amongst native plants, negating the need for deforestation or the use of chemical fertilizers
- 3rd party tested for mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, glyphosate, plus 450 other toxins to ensure you are getting the cleanest cup of coffee
The Coffee-Liver Connection:
How Drinking Coffee can Improve Your Liver Health
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Medical Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Dr. Charles Livingston nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
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