Drinking coffee helps HIV patients increase their chances of survival by 50%

Patients with HIV and hepatitis C virus can double their chances of survival by drinking three cups of coffee a day

Drinking 3 cups of coffee a day helps HIV patients double their chances of survival.

In the United States, about half of patients infected with HIV through needle sharing are also found to have hepatitis C virus (HCV). These two diseases have the same mode of transmission.

Treatments for HIV and HCV have improved dramatically, extending the lives of people with one or both of these diseases. Most people with HCV infection are cured.

Patients with HCV and HIV are at increased risk of serious liver disease. Even when HCV is cured, HIV accelerates the aging process and leads to cardiovascular problems and liver degeneration.

But in a study by the French National Institute of Health and the National Agency for AIDS and Hepatitis conducted with 1,028 patients with HIV and HCV, those who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had a 50% reduction in inflammation within five years.

Scientists are not sure whether coffee or caffeine has a positive effect on the liver, but coffee seems to reduce enzymes that are overproduced by diseased livers and slow the development of liver scarring.

According to the European Association for the Study of the Liver, coffee may help prevent insulin resistance in the liver.

The study also tracked smoking status among patients and found that non-smokers had higher survival rates. Lifestyle factors such as having a care partner helped prolong patient life.

According to Dantri