Could Smoking and Drinking Coffee Help Protect Against Liver Disease?

A daily cup of joe and a smoking habit isn't part of the healthiest routine, typically. However, a new study by researchers at Oslo University Hospital found that a combination of the two could help fight against liver disease, in some cases.

For the study, researched measured the coffee consumption from 240 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and 245 randomly chosen individuals from the Norwegian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Findings showed that levels of daily coffee consumption were lower in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

The researchers also discovered that a significantly higher number of people in the control group smoked compared to those in the primary sclerosing cholangitis group.

Furthermore, they found a link between sex differences in the development of primary sclerosing and between every day smoking at an older age (42 versus 32 years; P < 0.001).

However, fewer patients in the experimental group used hormonal contraception.

Lastly, the study showed a distinct correlation in women for increasing number of children before diagnosis of PSC and increasing age at diagnosis (P<0.001).

"Coffee consumption and smoking might protect against development of PSC," the researchers wrote, according to Medical Xpress. 

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.