A new research from the National Cancer Institute shows that drinking decaffeinated coffee can make a person's liver healthier.

It was found that higher coffee consumption, despite the caffeine content, is linked to several health benefits such as enhanced brain activity and weight loss. It also reduces the risk of  type 2 diabetes; dimentia and Parkinson's disease; and lately, a healthier liver.

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According to the National Coffee Association of the United States, more than half of Americans over 18 drink an average three cups each day.

The International Coffee Association reported that since the 1980s, coffee consumption has increased to two percent in the past years.

Previous studies also showed that coffee consumption help lessen the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Lead researcher Dr. Qian Xiao from the National Cancer Institute said that prior research found that drinking coffee has possible protective effects on the liver but the evidence was not clear if that benefit includes decaffeinated coffee.

In a current study conducted for over a 24- our period, researchers examined some 27,793 participants who are 20 years or older. Then, they measured blood levels of several markers of liver function that includes alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase to determine the health of the liver.

It turned out that those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had lower levels of all the three liver enzymes compared to those who did not consume any coffee. This  indicates that coffee drinkers had better functioning livers.

Same results were also found in those who drank only decaffeinated coffee.

Dr. Xiao explained that their findings link total and decaffeinated coffee intake to lower liver enzyme levels, an indication that there must be something else in coffee other than caffeine that may help protect the liver.

He added that the ingredients in coffee can promote liver health but further studies are needed to be able to identify these components.