Two cups of coffee a day can help stave off liver disease caused by drinking too much alcohol, scientists claimed today.

In fact, regular consumption of the drink slashed the risk of the risk of liver cirrhosis by 44 per cent.

Researchers from the University of Southampton reviewed nine long-term studies involving almost half a million men and women from six countries.

They found that those who drank two cups of coffee every day were less likely to suffer from liver cirrhosis or die from it.