July 2018: Profs Jonathan Fallowfield and Peter Hayes appeared on a Channel 4 show to talk about coffee and liver health. Professors Jonathan Fallowfield (Senior Clinical Fellow and Honorary Consultant Hepatologist at CIR) and Peter Hayes (Head of Division of Health Sciences and Hepatology/Gastroentology) featured in a recent episode of the Channel 4 Programme 'Food Unwrapped' (Series 14, Episode 6), which aired on 16th July 2018. They filmed a segment in the Royal Infirmary and Chancellors building on their research into coffee and liver health. In the programme, Prof Peter Hayes recommends that a diabetes patient suffering from liver scarring drink coffee as a way to combat cirrhosis. "Something seems to be within coffee that calms the liver down and reduces inflammation," explains Prof Hayes in the programme. "The evidence suggests that it's caffeine blocking the scar-forming cells in the liver from laying down all this scar tissue," responds Prof Fallowfield, when the presenter asks him what it is about coffee that's so helpful. He goes on to explain that it has to be caffeine derived from coffee, as the same health benefis are not seen from the caffeine contained within tea or energy drinks. If you want to skip to the segment in which they feature, fast-forward to 18:50 using the link below. Links: Channel 4 – Food Unwrapped: Series 14, Episode 6 (external website) A coffee a day keeps the doctor away – article in The Herald, 2013 (external website) An epidemiological study of the association of coffee with chronic liver disease – Published journal article on which the above is based, Sage Journals 2013 (external website) Systematic review with meta-analysis: coffee consumption and the risk of cirrhosis – Published journal article, Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2016 (external website) Coffee, including caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis – Published journal article, British Medical Journal 2017 (external website) Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes – Published journal article, British Medical Journal 2017 (external website) Prof Jonathan Fallowfield – Research Profile Prof Peter Hayes – Research Profile Publication date 31 Jul, 2018
