Cup of coffee, herbal tea can keep off liver disease

Herbal tea is said to have medicinal value. file photo | nmg 

By SARAH OOKO

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Summary

• A new study published in the Journal of Hepatology shows that the two beverages can prevent liver fibrosis, an ailment that causes gradual stiffness and damage to the organ.
• This is usually the initial stage of a fatal liver disease.
• If fibrosis is not detected and thus managed in good time, it progresses into a severe form of liver ailment known as cirrhosis.

Drinking coffee and herbal tea could offer protection against severe liver disease.

A new study published in the Journal of Hepatology shows that the two beverages can prevent liver fibrosis, an ailment that causes gradual stiffness and damage to the organ.

This is usually the initial stage of a fatal liver disease.

If fibrosis is not detected and thus managed in good time, it progresses into a severe form of liver ailment known as cirrhosis.

This condition — defined as ‘End Stage’ liver disease — is characterised by an almost rock-hard liver that has lost functionality and whose damage is irreversible.

According to the researchers, frequent coffee and herbal tea consumption — even in small quantities — can keep the liver healthy and thus prevent people from developing liver fibrosis in the first place.

But for those already suffering from it, the two beverages can still play a key role in forestalling the progression of the ailment to cirrhosis.

Both coffee and herbal teas are deemed to have anti-oxidants which aid in promoting healthy livers.

But research is still required to determine the recommended quantities for maximum health benefits, as well as types of coffee and tea with more favourable liver outcomes.

The researchers thus caution against overindulging in just the two beverages at the expense of other nutritious foods, healthy lifestyles and interventions that are known to play a key role in keeping liver disease at bay.

They note that a major cause of liver fibrosis is fatty liver disease which is caused by the accumulation of excess fat in the liver organ.

Even though excessive alcohol consumption as the main cause of fatty liver disease, health experts are concerned that unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are causing obesity and non-communicable diseases like diabetes that are increasingly contributing to the growing cases of fatty liver diseases, even in the absence of alcohol.

“In this context, examining accessible and inexpensive lifestyle strategies that have potential health benefits, such as coffee and tea consumption, is a viable approach to finding ways to halt the rapid increase of liver disease,” said Dr Louise Alferink, lead author of the study from the department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.

Dr Sarwa Murad, hepatologist and principal investigator of the study said that previous research has shown that coffee has health benefits on enzyme elevation, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) statistics show that more than a quarter (27 percent) of the Kenyan population is either overweight or obese.

This has led to an influx in hypertension and diabetes cases. Yet, a whopping 88 percent of Kenyans are unaware of their diabetes status. Among those aware, less than half - 40 percent - are taking medication which is crucial for controlling adverse outcomes of the disease such as liver damage.

These challenges - coupled with the rampant alcoholism problem in the country - are major factors contributing to the burden of liver disease in the country.

The numbers have been growing over the years, with doctors witnessing an influx of renal disease patients in major health facilities.

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) alone caters daily for over 50 patients suffering from liver disease.

Dr Kennedy Ondede, a liver specialist at the facility said that most people usually come with ‘End Stage’ liver disease which can only be treated through transplants that enable affected patients to get ‘new’ livers from healthy donors.

Sadly, a majority of Kenyans cannot afford this costly medical procedure. “As such, many of them end up dying. So it’s better to prevent the disease.”

He noted that other major causes of severe liver disease in the country include Hepatitis B virus and eating food contaminated with afflatoxin.

Liver transplant surgeries are not performed locally and patients usually need to part with about Sh9 million to have it done abroad.

But plans are underway to introduce the surgeries in the country following KNH’s procurement of a liver aspirator machine in 2015 that is ideal for performing complex liver operations and transplants.

This is expected to bring down the cost of transplants to between Sh1 million and Sh3 million.

The health fraternity is also waiting for the government to enact laws governing the harvesting of human tissues such as livers – from live or dead donors – for medical use.

The liver is the largest internal body organ. Aside from eliminating waste or toxins from the blood, it also stores immune boosting vitamins and produces proteins and enzymes that help in food digestion and blood clotting. It also stores nutrients for future body use.