That black fuel ingested into your blood stream each morning has yet another internal benefit.

The black fuel ingested into your blood stream each morning brings with it a handful of beneficial properties. Some say it’s an aphrodisiac. Others believe it has anti-cancer properties. The majority of us also understand that without it each morning, we’d simply curl up into a ball at the bottom of the shower and cry uncontrollably. Coffee’s the life blood for the masses. Now, it’s also what will most likely stave off the health issues of overdrinking and obesity, as researchers suggest drinking two cups of coffee each day could reduce the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis by 43 percent. And as we all know, cirrhosis isn’t good for anyone.

Cirrhosis is the scarring of the liver which can lead to liver failure. The disease can be brought on by a number of factors, including chronic alcohol misuse and obesity, both of which stimulate the overproduction of fibrous connective tissue such as collagen in the liver, generating scar tissue in place of healthy tissue. 

An article published in the journal, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, compiled research from nine different studies showing that coffee-derived caffeine protects against abnormal liver function and fibrosis.

Of the more than 430,000 participants in these nine studies, 1,990 cases of cirrhosis were reported, although this frequency was found to be strongly negatively correlated with levels of coffee consumption.

For instance, when filtering their data to examine cirrhosis cases caused by alcohol, the researchers found that drinking a single cup of coffee each day led to a 22 percent decrease in the risk of developing the condition. Two cups, meanwhile, corresponded to a 43 percent drop in risk, while three cups decreased this chance by 57 percent and four cups by 65 percent.

Why is coffee the best hangover medicine?

Scientists believe it has to do with coffee’s antioxidant or anti-inflammatory qualities, both of which protect against liver fibrosis. Researchers do warn that the study did not look at what type of coffee — bean, ground, instant, boiled — actually helps the most, and therefore recommend to exercise caution when trying to prevent liver failure.

You could always stop drinking but that’s just being crazy. So when you purchase the $5 cup of coffee from the niche coffee roaster down the street just compare that price against what it would take to recover from liver failure.  Exactly. Long live coffee.