WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In recent years there have been a number of studies examining the association between coffee and its health benefits. Drinking coffee in moderation is said to offer protection against Parkinson disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and Alzheimer's.
And now, you can add one more to that list.
A study conducted by Mayo Clinic suggests that regular consumption of coffee is linked to lower risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, a detrimental liver disease.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a chronic disease where the bile ducts become blocked due to inflammation and scarring. It can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and biliary cancer.
The new finding was based on a large group of U.S. patients with PSC and primary biliary cirrhosis, or PBC and a group of healthy patients.
According to the study authors, coffee consumption was associated with reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis, but not primary biliary cirrhosis.
Commenting on the findings, Konstantinos Lazaridis, a Mayo Clinic hepatologist and senior study author said, 'The study suggests PSC and PBC differ more than originally thought, Moving forward, we can look at what this finding might tell us about the causes of these diseases and how to better treat them.'
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