Coffee is a liver elixir

Coffee has been documented in a multitude of studies to have metabolic, cardiovascular and brain benefits, and it is especially salubrious for the liver. A paper just published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology handily summarizes several of the virtues that coffee has for liver function:

"Coffee is one of the most widely used beverages in the world. It includes a wide array of components that can have potential implications for health. Several epidemiological studies associate coffee consumption with a reduced incidence of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. Over the past 20 years, an increasing number of epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated the positive effects of coffee on chronic liver diseases."

Coffee improves liver enzymes, steatosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis

Considering that coffee is beneficial for glucose metabolism and insulin regulation it makes sense that it would protect against fatty liver by more than just an antioxidant effect:

"Coffee consumption has been inversely associated with the activity of liver enzymes in subjects at risk, including heavy drinkers. Coffee favours an improvement in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, and a reduction in cirrhosis and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma...Experimental studies show that coffee consumption reduces fat accumulation and collagen deposition in the liver..."

Coffee increases glutathione production and promotes detoxification

Glutathione is of premiere importance as an anti-inflammatory antioxidant necessary for immune tolerance of environmental toxins, and coffee...

...promotes antioxidant capacity through an increase in glutathione as well as modulation of the gene and protein expression of several inflammatory mediators. Animal and in vitro studies indicate that cafestol and kahweol, 2 diterpens, can operate by modulating multiple enzymes involved in the detoxification process of carcinogens causing hepatocellular carcinoma. It is unclear whether the benefits are significant enough to “treat” patients with chronic liver disease. While we await clarification, moderate daily unsweetened coffee use is a reasonable adjuvant to therapy for these patients."

One caution

Sadly, some people who do not tolerate gluten also cross-react to coffee, at least until they have regained immune tolerance through treatment. This can be determined by the appropriate laboratory test.