Three cups of coffee a day lowers death risk in HIV patients

Three cups of coffee a day lowers death risk in HIV patients and in HCV patients, according to brand new research conducted in Paris.

Coffee has shown much health benefits lately and is a huge part of the American lifestyle. According to Harvard research, 54 percent of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day.

The beverage used to be very controversial, as some believed that it caused cancer. In June of last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) finally cleared it up once and for all that coffee does not cause cancer.

Patients infected by HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) are at greater risk of liver disease, heart disease, and cancer. Drinking three cups of coffee can lower risk of all causes of mortality due to HIV and HCV, according to the new study.

This study is the first to examine the relationship between coffee consumption and HIV/HCV mortality.

“This is a very exciting time for HCV research as a cure that can eradicate the virus is now available for all patients,” explained lead investigator Dominique Salmon-Céron, MD, PhD, of the Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Cochin, and Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France. “However, even when cured of HCV, patients co-infected with HIV have a higher risk of death with respect to the general population, due to an accelerated aging process that may result from cancer, complications related to diabetes and to liver disease, and from cardiovascular events.”

Coffee is known to have liver-protecting and anti-inflammatory properties. Previous studies have shown that in the general population, drinking coffee daily can reduce risk of death.

In the new study, the researchers found that drinking at least three cups of coffee per day was associated with 50 percent reduction in risk of mortality related to HIV and HCV.

“The results of our study show that while curing HCV is fundamental, it must be complemented by behavioral changes if we are to improve health and survival in HIV-infected patients whether or not they cleared HCV. “I think we need to better monitor coffee consumption, together with other behaviors, such as alcohol use, smoking, physical activity, and to propose interventions to our patients which facilitate healthy behaviors even after HCV clearance. We also suggest that those patients who cannot tolerate a high intake of caffeine should consider drinking a few cups of decaffeinated coffee a day,” commented Dr. Salmon-Céron. “Accordingly, I believe that the benefits of coffee extracts and supplementing dietary intake with other anti-inflammatory compounds need to be evaluated in HIV-HCV patients.”

The study showing that three cups of coffee a day lowers death risk in HIV patients was published in the Journal Of Hepatology. 

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