What happens to your liver when you drink coffee every morning? Gastroenterologist shares 4 benefits

For millions of people, coffee is less of a drink and more of a morning ritual. The first cup often arrives before breakfast, work or pretty much anything else. And given how deeply coffee has worked its way into everyday life and popular culture, the obvious question is whether drinking it every morning is actually doing your body any good.

According to Dr Saurabh Sethi, a California-based gastroenterologist trained at AIIMS, Harvard and Stanford Universities, your morning coffee may have some benefits, particularly when it comes to the liver. In an Instagram post shared on July 31, Dr Sethi drew on his experience of reviewing more than 10,000 liver scans over a medical career spanning more than two decades to explain four reasons he believes regular coffee consumption can be beneficial.

Dr Sethi puts liver health at the top of the list. "Coffee is one of the best drinks for supporting liver health," he said.

He pointed to research linking regular coffee consumption with a reduced risk of cirrhosis. "Studies show can have up to a 44 percent lower risk of liver cirrhosis," the gastroenterologist stated.

Liver cirrhosis occurs when healthy liver tissue is progressively replaced by scar tissue. Long-term alcohol use, chronic hepatitis B or C and fatty liver disease are among its causes. The resulting damage interferes with the liver's ability to function normally and cannot be fully reversed.

Your morning cup may also have an effect on liver enzyme levels, according to Dr Sethi.

Liver enzymes, also known as hepatic enzymes, play roles in processes including metabolism, detoxification and digestion. Common liver enzymes include alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

"Consistent coffee intake has been linked to lower ALT and AST levels - key markers of liver function," Dr Sethi noted.

Another reason Dr Sethi backs regular coffee consumption is its potential role in fatty liver disease.

"NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) now affects around one in three adults, and coffee is one of the few drinks with strong, consistent clinical evidence behind it," he said.

That makes coffee particularly interesting from a liver-health perspective, given how widespread fatty liver disease has become.

If caffeine isn't your thing, Dr Sethi says that doesn't necessarily mean you have to miss out on coffee's potential liver benefits.

According to him, the protective effects aren't solely down to caffeine. Compounds known as polyphenols may play an important role, which could explain why studies have also found benefits associated with decaffeinated coffee.

"The protective effect appears to come largely from polyphenols, not just caffeine, with decaf drinkers showing similar liver enzyme improvements in studies," Dr Sethi stated.

So, for those wondering whether that morning coffee is a habit worth keeping, Dr Sethi's take is fairly clear. Based on the evidence he highlighted, both regular and decaf coffee may have something to offer when it comes to supporting liver health.