If you keep abreast of medical research at all, you’ll soon discover that some studies seem to  contradict one another.

Consider the latest news on coffee.  Last week I cited research that suggests that those who drink four or more cups of coffee per day might be at a greater risk for early death (researchers emphasized the link was not causal, but merely associative).

This week, coffee’s good for you.  Or at least if you have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  The study was conducted by Duke-NUS Graduate and Medical School and the Duke University Medical School; researchers discovered that the caffeine equivalent of four cups of coffee or tea per day stimulates the metabolization of fat stored in the liver cells of mice who were fed a high fat diet.  Although the connection between caffeine and NAFLD has just been discovered, the team suggests this is a could stepping stone toward further research into developing a caffeine drug for those with the disease without caffeine’s negative side effects.  Details of the report will be published in the September issue of the journal Hepatology.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is quite prevalent; 70% of those who have been diagnosed with diabetes and obesity have it.  The only effective to treat NALFD is with a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise.