Each of the participants filled out a questionnaire to provide
information about how much alcohol, coffee and tea they drank per day
during the past year. Some of the individuals also had their blood
tested for levels of certain liver enzymes; the enzymes are released
into the bloodstream when the liver is diseased or damaged.
There were 330 participants diagnosed with cirrhosis by the end of
2001. Of those, 199 were caused by alcohol. The researchers found that
for each cup of coffee they drank per day, participants were 22 percent
less likely to develop alcoholic cirrhosis. Also, drinking coffee was
associated with a slight reduction in risk for other types of
cirrhosis.
“Among those who had their blood drawn, liver enzyme levels were higher
among individuals who drank more alcohol, indicating liver disease or
damage; however, those who drank both alcohol and coffee had lower
levels than those who drank alcohol but did not drink coffee, with the
strongest link among the heaviest drinkers”, according to the
researchers.
Tea drinkers showed no reduced risk for developing cirrhosis. The
researchers say this suggests that caffeine is not responsible for the
relationship between coffee and a reduced risk of cirrhosis.
The findings do not suggest that physicians prescribe coffee to prevent
alcoholic cirrhosis, the authors continue. “Even if coffee is
protective, the primary approach to reduction of alcoholic cirrhosis is
avoidance or cessation of heavy alcohol drinking,” they conclude.
“Assuming causality, the data do suggest that coffee intake may partly
explain the variability of cirrhosis risk in alcohol consumers. Basic
research about hepatic coffee-ethanol interactions is warranted, but we
should keep in mind that coffee might represent only one of a number of
potential cirrhosis risk modulators.”
According to the National Institutes
for Health (NIH), the symptoms for cirrhosis include a tired feeling or
weakness, loss of appetite, a sick feeling in the stomach or weight
loss. Cirrhosis can also lead to other problems including nosebleeds and
bruising. Bloating or swelling may occur as fluid builds up in the
abdomen or legs. Fluid build up in the abdomen is called ascites (ah-SI-teez)
and in the legs is called edema.
Since waste material from food may
build up in the blood or brain, patients suffering from cirrhosis may
have confusion or difficulty thinking. Medications may have a stronger
effect on you because your liver does not break them down as quickly.
When you eat protein it breaks down
into chemicals like ammonia. When red blood cells get old, they break
down and leave a substance called bilirubin (bil-ih-ROO-bun). A healthy
liver removes these byproducts, but a diseased liver leaves them in the
body. Blood pressure may increase in the vein entering the liver,
a condition called portal hypertension. Enlarged veins, called
varices (VARE-ah-seez), may develop in the esophagus and stomach.
Varices can bleed suddenly, causing vomiting of blood or passing of
blood in a bowel movement.
The kidneys may not work properly or
may fail. As cirrhosis progresses, the skin and the whites of your
eyes may turn yellow, a condition called jaundice (JON-diss). You may
also develop severe itching or gallstones.
In the early stages, cirrhosis
causes your liver to swell. Then, as more scar tissue replaces normal
tissue, the liver shrinks. About 5 percent of patients with
cirrhosis also get cancer of the liver.
Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
Books on Dieting
Keywords and misspellings: serosis serrosis cerrohsis
cerrhosis cerosis
