Myth 7: Coffee protects the liver

This is one of the better-supported claims.

A UK Biobank study of almost 495,000 people found that coffee drinkers had a 21 per cent lower risk of developing chronic liver disease and a 49 per cent lower risk of dying from it than non-drinkers. The benefit was seen with ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee.

As with most coffee research, these were observational findings. Coffee is not a treatment for liver disease, nor can it undo the effects of heavy drinking.

The verdict: There is a genuine and consistent link between coffee and better liver health, but coffee is not a cure or a licence to drink more alcohol.