Limited experimental and epidemiologic data suggest that
coffee may reduce hepatic damage in chronic
liver disease. The association between consumption of
coffee and other beverages and risk of
cirrhosis mortality was evaluated in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. This is a prospective population-based cohort of 63,275 middle-aged and older Chinese subjects who provided data on diet, lifestyle, and medical histories through in-person interviews using a structured questionnaire at enrollment between 1993 and 1998. Mortality from
cirrhosis in the cohort was ascertained through linkage analysis with nationwide death registry. After a mean follow-up of 14.7 years, 114 subjects died from
cirrhosis; 33 of them from viral
hepatitis B (29%), two from
hepatitis C (2%), and 14 from alcohol-related
cirrhosis (12%). Compared to nondrinkers, daily alcohol drinkers had a strong dose-dependent positive association between amount of alcohol and risk of
cirrhosis mortality. Conversely, there was a strong dose-dependent inverse association between
coffee intake and risk of nonviral
hepatitis-related
cirrhosis mortality (P for trend = 0.014). Compared to non-daily
coffee drinkers, those who drank two or more cups per day had a 66% reduction in mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.14-0.81). However,
coffee intake was not associated with
hepatitis B-related
cirrhosis mortality. The inverse relationship between
caffeine intake and nonviral
hepatitis-related
cirrhosis mortality became null after adjustment for
coffee drinking. The consumption of
black tea,
green tea, fruit juices, or soft drinks was not associated with risk of
cirrhosis death.
CONCLUSION: