Coffee intake may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Sep 5 2019

Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 23% lower risk of developing symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not drink coffee. Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day was associated with 3% lower risk. Also, individuals with certain genetic variants that have been linked to increased coffee consumption had a lower risk of gallstones.

Although the study only uncovered correlations, the authors highlighted several mechanisms by which coffee consumption might help prevent gallstones from forming.