Effects of Coffee on Persuasion and Cirrhosis

[Angel]

Two new studies analyze the effects of coffee on our mind and body.

The first study shows moderate amounts of caffeine can impact how much we can be persuaded. Australian researchers from the University of Queensland found caffeine makes us more likely to agree with persuasive arguments.

Participants were asked their attitudes about voluntary euthanasia before and after reading persuasive arguments against their initial beliefs. Before they read the arguments they drank orange juice either without caffeine or with the equivalent of two cups of coffee.

Results show those who consumed caffeine had increased agreement with the arguments, greater message-related thinking, and better argument recall.

The second study involving coffee reveals it may reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Researchers with Kaiser Permanente Medical Care program in Oakland, California, analyzed data from 330 participants with cirrhosis, including 199 with alcoholic cirrhosis. They found for every cup of coffee they drank per day, participants were 22-percent less likely to develop alcoholic cirrhosis. Results also show drinking coffee was linked to slightly reducing the risk of other types of cirrhosis.

Drinking tea did not have the same effect, which researchers say suggests it is not caffeine that is responsible for the relationship between coffee and reduced cirrhosis risk, but rather another protective ingredient in coffee.

Researchers stress the findings do not mean coffee should be prescribed to prevent alcoholic cirrhosis. They recommend avoiding or stopping heavy alcohol drinking as the primary approach.