The following new studies are now included:

• In 2011, a case-control study conducted in a Chinese population of hepatitis C chronic carriers found that moderate coffee consumption reduced the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma by almost half with a significant dose-response effect, reducing the risk for moderate coffee drinkers by 59%.
• A North American study to investigate the effects of dietary behaviour in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients, using four continuous cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES 2001 -2008) found caffeine intake to be independently associated with a lower risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD suggesting a potential protective effect.
• A French study developed to evaluate the impact of caffeine consumption on activity grade and fibrosis stage in patients with chronic hepatitis C found that caffeine consumption greater than 408 mg/day was associated with reduced histological activity in these patients.

This is the first in a series of updates to the Coffee & Health website. For more information on the new research and to view the topic, click here.