One of the effects of coffee when drunk is that it is quite acidic and your body must taker calcium from your bones in order to create the proper ph banlce in your stomach. Such and effect is not present when it is in your colon.

// Yes, I know this is reviving a long-aged thread. However, I find this question very important, and this was the best thread!


"Thanks, that clears it up a bit for me. But what do you think it is about coffee that causes some researchers to conclude that ingesting coffee orally can prevent liver cirrhoisis and cause less liver damage in those that also drink alcohol? I mean, I know all about coffee's negative effects and those of caffeine, but I think that in the alternative health circles it's been so villified in the past 150 years that any indication that there could be an ounce of good to drinking it is immediately poo-poo'd and dismissed. I'm strongly against using coffee as a mornng crutch, but I like a cup of high quality organic on the weekends from time to time."

Simple nutrient density.

Especially choline.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-014144000000000000000.html?maxCount=13
(fresh-ground coffee is reported highest in the list of choline-content foods. Chickory root tea is higher still. )

Choline is one of those building blocks of the body, and an essential ingredient in bile salts ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile_acid )

"Primary bile acids are those synthesized by the liver. Secondary bile acids result from bacterial actions in the colon. In humans, tauroCHOLIC acid and glycoCHOLIC acid (derivatives of cholic acid) and taurochenodeoxyCHOLIC acid and glycochenodeoxyCHOLIC acid (derivatives of chenodeoxyCHOLIC acid) are the major bile salts in bile and are roughly equal in concentration.[4] The conjugated salts of their 7-alpha-dehydroxylated derivatives, deoxyCHOLIC acid and lithoCHOLIC acid, are also found, with derivatives of cholic, chenodeoxyCHOLIC and deoxyCHOLIC acids accounting for over 90% of human biliary bile acids.[4]"


No better argument for a veggie and fruit-heavy diet than that! ;) You wanna have a healthy liver..?


"The cation appears in the head groups of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, two classes of phospholipid that are abundant in cell membranes. Choline is the precursor molecule for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is involved in many functions including memory and muscle control.

Choline must be consumed through the diet for the body to remain healthy.[6] It is used in the synthesis of the constructional components in the body's cell membranes." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline)


Choline is the body's main ingredient for the break down of chole-esterols, especially the ones that clog up the liver to begin with.



However recieving choline primarily through coffee does not compensate the body's needs for essential fatty acids (omegas 3 - 6 - 7 - 9), and plant oils are usually quite high in omega 6'es, creating an imbalance and higher need for it's compatriots (!).


Nutrition's a big and complicated chain. Though.. I find it a fun puzzle. :-)