The researchers, who are from the French National Institute of Health and National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS), find during their five-year study period that hepatitis C patients who were non-smokers and who drank at least three cups of coffee in a day managed their illness better than those who drank less and smoked. They have studied data gathered from 1,028 patients enrolled in the French ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH cohort – a continuing French nationwide prospective unit of HIV-HCV co-infected patients – which collects both medical and behavioral data over time through annual self-administered surveys.
The researchers were uncertain whether the coffee or its caffeine contains healing effects for the liver, but they suggest that coffee appears to aid in the reduction of the enzymes overproduced by an unhealthy liver and slows down the development of scar tissue in the damaged liver. They concluded that drinking not less than three cups of coffee a day lengthens the lives of HIV and hepatitis C sufferers by 50 percent. In addition, those who have been cured of hepatitis C and drank more than three cups of coffee per day have about 80 percent more chances of survival.
HIV is an auto-immune disease that leads to a faster aging process, often causing heart ailments and continuous liver failure. In the United States, there are at least 1,107,700 people living with HIV. In addition, according to statistics, approximately 25 percent of HIV patients also have hepatitis C, which is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although cures for HIV and HCV have improved and hepatitis C is treatable in most cases, the viruses still expose patients to a greater risk for life-threatening liver diseases.
“The results of our study show that while curing HCV is fundamental, it must be complemented by behavioral changes if we are to improve health and survival in HIV-infected patients whether or not they cleared HCV,” Maria Patrizia Carrieri, lead author of the study, notes.
The study was published in the Journal of Hepatology.
More about coffee
Coffee beans come from coffee trees that can reach at least 30 feet high, although they are usually pruned short so that the trees can grow more crops. The coffee beans are processed and roasted seeds of a fruit called coffee cherry. The European Association for the Study of the Liver suggests that coffee helps in preventing the liver from becoming resistant to insulin. (Related: Coffee drinkers have a lower mortality rate and lower risk of various cancers.)
Moreover, coffee has other health benefits. According to an article published by Fortune, coffee can make a person smarter, make a person's life longer, reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, uterine and liver cancer, cirrhosis, and gout. Lastly, coffee contains nutrients such as vitamin B2, magnesium, potassium, and polyphenols.
On the other hand, drinking too much coffee can cause negative health effects. Having too much caffeine in the body can result to symptoms of anxiety and is also linked with symptoms of depression.
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