The #1 Best Drink for Your Liver, Says Dietitian
We know that our liver is important, but we may not realize just how important it is. In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, your liver has hundreds of jobs it performs for your body.
Among these different jobs are highly crucial roles like metabolizing the nutrients you eat so they can be used by your body, filtering toxins out of your bloodstream, helping your body produce normal amounts of blood clotting, and disposing of old blood cells.
As you can see, taking care of your liver and giving it what it needs should be a top priority for all of us. Thankfully, a beverage that is known to help your liver is also one of the most well-loved drinks around the world.
According to Courtney D'Angelo, MS, RD, author at GoWellness, one of the best drinks you can have for your liver is coffee!
Coffee and your liver
Coffee is not only a delicious way to start your day, but D'Angelo says it can also help promote liver health for a few key reasons.
"There have been numerous studies that have shown that drinking coffee can help lower the risk of cirrhosis, as well as helping to protect against fatty liver disease," says D'Angelo.
Cirrhosis is a serious liver disease that occurs when scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and permanently damages the liver, while "fatty liver disease happens when there's a big buildup of fat and collagen in and around the liver," she says.
So how exactly does coffee help in protecting your liver health, you may ask? For one, D'Angelo says that "coffee has the ability to reduce fat buildup and increase protective antioxidants in the liver, as antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals, which help prevent cell damage."
A recent study published in Nutrients hypothesized that coffee might also help prevent liver scarring, which can then help lower your chances of developing Cirrhosis or liver disease.
What type of coffee should you drink?
You're going to get the best liver-boosting health benefits by drinking your coffee black. However, if you don't enjoy your cup of Joe this way, try keeping your sweeteners and high-sugar creamers at a minimum when possible.
Studies have shown that increased intake of added sugar can harm your liver over time, so choosing something like a dash of half-in-half or a low-sugar, non-dairy creamer can help keep your added sugar levels at bay when you're drinking your coffee.
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