A new roundtable report from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) on ‘Looking after the liver: coffee, caffeine and lifestyle factors’ highlights the potential role of coffee consumption in reducing the risk of liver diseases such as liver cancer and cirrhosis.

  Roundtable delegates including academics, media medics and representatives from national liver associations from across seven European countries, met to discuss the most recent research into coffee and liver health, and the potential mechanisms behind a suggested reduced risk of liver disease.

The roundtable, held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, was chaired by Professor Graeme Alexander (University College London and senior advisor to the British Liver Trust) who also presented on the prevalence of liver disease in Europe and the role of lifestyle. Dr. Carlo La Vecchia (Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Dept. of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano) discussed the latest research on coffee and liver health and potential mechanisms. Group discussion focussed on how best to disseminate the latest findings and challenges for both liver associations and healthcare professionals.

Liver disease is a significant concern across Europe, where chronic liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death1 and approximately 29 million people in the European Union suffer from a chronic liver condition2.