Habitual coffee intake and plasma lipid profile: Evidence from UK Biobank

Coffee consumption and cardiometabolic health: a comprehensive review of the evidence

This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of longitudinal observational and interventional studies on the cardiometabolic effects of coffee consumption. It explores biological mechanisms, and clinical and policy implications, and highlights gaps in the evidence while suggesting future research directions. It also reviews evidence on the causal relationships between coffee consumption and cardiometabolic outcomes from Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. Findings indicate that while coffee may cause short-term increases in blood pressure, it does not contribute to long-term hypertension risk. There is limited evidence indicating that coffee intake might reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Furthermore, coffee consumption is consistently linked with reduced risks of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), showing dose-response relationships. The relationship between coffee and cardiovascular disease is complex, showing potential stroke prevention benefits but ambiguous effects on coronary heart disease. Moderate coffee consumption, typically ranging from 1 to 5 cups per day, is linked to a reduced risk of heart failure, while its impact on atrial fibrillation remains inconclusive. Furthermore, coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, following a U-shaped pattern, with the largest risk reduction observed at moderate consumption levels. Except for T2D and CKD, MR studies do not robustly support a causal link between coffee consumption and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. The potential beneficial effects of coffee on cardiometabolic health are consistent across age, sex, geographical regions, and coffee subtypes and are multi-dimensional, involving antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, lipid-modulating, insulin-sensitizing, and thermogenic effects. Based on its beneficial effects on cardiometabolic health and fundamental biological processes involved in aging, moderate coffee consumption has the potential to contribute to extending the healthspan and increasing longevity. The findings underscore the need for future research to understand the underlying mechanisms and refine health recommendations regarding coffee consumption.

Coffee consumption might be associated with lower potential risk and severity of metabolic syndrome: national health and nutrition examination survey 2003-2018

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by multiple metabolic disorders and is a serious global health problem. The coffee effect, acting as one of the most prevalent beverages on metabolic syndrome, is debatable.

METHODS

We included patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2018 and used a comprehensive evaluation called the MetS z-score to assess the severity of metabolic syndrome. The relationship between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, and MetS z-scores was explored using a weighted linear regression. We also divided the participants into metabolic and non-metabolic syndrome groups according to the NCEP/ATP III criteria for the subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 14,504 participants were included in this study. The results demonstrated that drinking more than three cups of coffee daily was significantly linked to lower MetS z-scores (p < 0.001). Daily coffee consumption was also associated with lower BMI (p = 0.02), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (p < 0.001), and triglycerides (p < 0.001), while it was positively correlated with HDL-C (p = 0.001). Participants who consumed more than three cups of coffee daily had a lower MetS z-score in the MetS (p < 0.001) and non-MetS (p = 0.04) groups.

CONCLUSION

This research indicates that coffee consumption is linked to MetS severity. However, decaffeinated coffee and tea intake were unrelated to MetS severity.

Beverages - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023

Background: Coffee, tea, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages (LNCSBs) are generally frequently consumed in the Nordic and Baltic countries. These beverages have also been related to potential health effects. This scoping review describes the evidence for the role of coffee, tea, SSBs, and LNCSBs for health-related outcomes as a basis for setting and updating food-based dietary guidelines. We used evidence from several qualified systematic reviews (i.e. World Cancer Research Fund, US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, European Food Safety Authority, and World Health Organization) and performed a search for additional systematic reviews. The evidence suggests that moderate coffee and tea consumption do not have long-term adverse health effects. The long-term favorable effects of coffee consumption are related to reduced risk of endometrial and liver cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular deaths. However, results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suggest that coffee brews that are rich in diterpenes, such as boiled coffee, increase serum cholesterol concentrations. High caffeine intake in pregnancy is associated with higher risk of pregnancy loss, preterm birth, and low birth weight. High consumption of SSBs has been associated with increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, based on data from RCTs and prospective cohort studies. The consumption of LNCSBs may result in a small reduction in body weight in adults, likely mediated through the effect of reduced energy intake, but has neutral effects on other cardiometabolic risk markers using evidence from RCTs. However, evidence from observational studies indicates increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases among high LNCSB consumers. In conclusion, current evidence suggests that moderate coffee and tea consumption have no long-term adverse health effects. The evidence of beneficial effects of coffee consumption on liver and endometrial cancer risk, and some cardiovascular outcomes, comes from observational studies. High consumption of boiled coffee should be avoided due to negative effect on lipid profile. Pregnant women should not exceed the recommended daily dose of caffeine intake of 200 mg set by the European Food Safety Authority as a safe level for the fetus. High consumption of SSBs has consistently been associated with adverse health effects, which is mainly due to excess energy intake, and should be limited. The conflicting results from RCTs and observational studies regarding LNCSBs may be due to revere causation and should be explored further.

Causal relationships between coffee intake, apolipoprotein B and gastric, colorectal, and esophageal cancers: univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization

PURPOSE

Coffee intake and apolipoprotein B levels have been linked to gastric, colorectal, and esophageal cancers in numerous recent studies. However, whether these associations are all causal remains unestablished. This study aimed to assess the potential causal associations of apolipoprotein B and coffee intake with the risk of gastric, colorectal, and esophageal cancers using Mendelian randomization analysis.

METHODS

In this study, we utilized a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis to access the causal effects of coffee intake and apolipoprotein B on gastric, colorectal, and esophageal cancers. The summary statistics of coffee intake (n = 428,860) and apolipoprotein B (n = 439,214) were obtained from the UK Biobank. In addition, the summary statistics of gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and esophageal cancer were obtained from the FinnGen biobank (n = 218,792). Inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode were applied to examine the causal relationship between coffee intake, apolipoprotein B and gastric, colorectal, and esophageal cancers. MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran's Q test, and leave-one-out analysis were performed to evaluate possible heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Steiger filtering and bidirectional mendelian randomization analysis were performed to evaluate the possible reverse causality.

RESULTS

The result of the inverse variance weighted method indicated that apolipoprotein B levels were significantly associated with a higher risk of gastric cancer (OR = 1.392, 95% CI 1.027-1.889, P = 0.0333) and colorectal cancer (OR = 1.188, 95% CI 1.001-1.411, P = 0.0491). Furthermore, multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis also revealed a positive association between apolipoprotein B levels and colorectal cancer risk, but the effect of apolipoprotein B on gastric cancer risk disappeared after adjustment of coffee intake, body mass index or lipid-related traits. However, we did not discover any conclusive evidence linking coffee intake to gastric, colorectal, or esophageal cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested a causal association between genetically increased apolipoprotein B levels and higher risk of colorectal cancer. No causal relationship was observed between coffee intake and gastric, colorectal, or esophageal cancers.

Spent coffee grounds and its antioxidant dietary fiber promote different colonic microbiome signatures: Benefits for subjects with chronodisruption

Chronodisruption, commonly displayed by people living with obesity (PLO), is linked to colonic microbiota dysbiosis, and may increase the risk of many chronic non-communicable diseases, whereas dietary interventions-called chrononutrition may mitigate it. We evaluated the in vitro effects of spent coffee grounds (SCG), and their antioxidant dietary fiber (SCG-DF) on the colonic microbiota of an obese donor displaying dysbiosis and chronodisruption. Basal microbiota pattern was associated with an increased risk of non-communicable chronic diseases. Both samples decrease species richness and increase microbiota diversity (p < 0.05; Chao and Shannon index, respectively), positively enhancing Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes index (SCG, p < 0.04; SCG-DF, p < 0.02). SCG and SCG-DF modulated the microbiota, but SCG-DF induced greater changes, significantly increasing. p_Actonobacterias (SCG p < 0.04; SCG-DF, p < 0.02), and reducing g_Alistipes; s_putredinis, g_Prevotella;s_copri. The highest increase was displayed by p_Proteobacteria (f_Desulfovibrionaceae and f_Alcanigenaceae, p < 0.05), while g_Haemophilus; s_parainfluenzae decreased (p < 0.05). However, neither SCG nor SCG-DF modulated g_Alistipes (evening-type colonic microbial marker) beneficially. SCG and SCG-DF reduced (p < 0.05) g_Lachnospira, a microbial evening-type marker, among other microbial populations, of an obese donor displaying chronodisruption and dysbiosis. SCG and SCG-DF displayed a prebiotic effect with the potential to mitigate diseases linked to chronodisruption.

Systematic comparison of Mendelian randomisation studies and randomised controlled trials using electronic databases

OBJECTIVE

To scope the potential for (semi)-automated triangulation of Mendelian randomisation (MR) and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evidence since the two methods have distinct assumptions that make comparisons between their results invaluable.

METHODS

We mined ClinicalTrials.Gov, PubMed and EpigraphDB databases and carried out a series of 26 manual literature comparisons among 54 MR and 77 RCT publications.

RESULTS

We found that only 13% of completed RCTs identified in ClinicalTrials.Gov submitted their results to the database. Similarly low coverage was revealed for Semantic Medline (SemMedDB) semantic triples derived from MR and RCT publications -36% and 12%, respectively. Among intervention types that can be mimicked by MR, only trials of pharmaceutical interventions could be automatically matched to MR results due to insufficient annotation with Medical Subject Headings ontology. A manual survey of the literature highlighted the potential for triangulation across a number of exposure/outcome pairs if these challenges can be addressed.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that careful triangulation of MR with RCT evidence should involve consideration of similarity of phenotypes across study designs, intervention intensity and duration, study population demography and health status, comparator group, intervention goal and quality of evidence.

Overview of Caffeine Effects on Human Health and Emerging Delivery Strategies

Caffeine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in various plants. It acts as a stimulant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even an aid in pain management, and is found in several over-the-counter medications. This naturally derived bioactive compound is the best-known ingredient in coffee and other beverages, such as tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks, and is widely consumed worldwide. Therefore, it is extremely important to research the effects of this substance on the human body. With this in mind, caffeine and its derivatives have been extensively studied to evaluate its ability to prevent diseases and exert anti-aging and neuroprotective effects. This review is intended to provide an overview of caffeine's effects on cancer and cardiovascular, immunological, inflammatory, and neurological diseases, among others. The heavily researched area of caffeine in sports will also be discussed. Finally, recent advances in the development of novel nanocarrier-based formulations, to enhance the bioavailability of caffeine and its beneficial effects will be discussed.

Influence of Sex Differences on Serum Lipid Profiles among Habitual Coffee Drinkers: Evidence from 23,072 Taiwan Biobank Participants

The bioactive compounds of coffee are involved in lipid metabolism, and sex differences may play an important role. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of sex differences on serum lipid profiles among habitual coffee drinkers. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of 23,628 adults using data obtained from the Taiwan Biobank database. Adults who drank more than one cup of coffee per day and those who drank less than one cup per day were compared with non-drinkers. After adjusting for baseline demographics and lifestyle, a generalized linear model was used to estimate the change in serum lipid profiles in men and women and in postmenopausal and premenopausal women among different coffee-drinking behaviors. We found that habitual coffee consumption changed the serum lipid profiles of men and women. Further, coffee drinkers had higher serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lower serum triglyceride levels than non-drinkers. Compared with premenopausal women, both men and postmenopausal women had increased serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Menopausal status may play an important role in modulating the effect of habitual coffee intake on dyslipidemia. Moreover, premenopausal women potentially benefit more from habitual coffee drinking than men and postmenopausal women.

Association of beverage consumption with subclinical atherosclerosis in a Spanish working population

Beverages play a substantial role meeting water, calorie, and nutrient requirements; however, they are presented as being major contributors to the current obesity epidemic. Although, the relationship between beverage consumption and metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults has been frequently studied, its association with subclinical atherosclerosis is of increased interest. We studied the association of beverage consumption with the presence of peripheral subclinical atherosclerosis among Spanish workers. We performed a cross-sectional study of 2089 middle-aged males, with a mean age of 50.9 (SD 3.9), and without CVD, carried out in the Aragon Workers' Health Study (AWHS). A food frequency questionnaire was used to measure beverage consumption of low-fat milk, coffee and tea (unsweetened), whole-fat milk, sugar-sweetened beverages, bottled fruit juice, artificially-sweetened beverages and 100% fruit juice. Atherosclerotic plaques were measured by ultrasound (in carotid arteries, and in femoral arteries). Atherosclerotic plaque was defined as a focal structure protruding ≥ 0.5 mm into the lumen, or reaching a thickness ≥ 50% of the surrounding intima-media thickness. As statistical analysis, we use logistic regression models, simultaneously adjusted for all beverage groups. As results, unsweetened coffee was the beverage most associated with peripheral subclinical atherosclerosis with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.25 (1.10-1.41), and 1.23 (1.09-1.40) 100g/day] for carotid, and femoral territories respectively. Moreover, subclinical atherosclerosis was positively associated with whole-fat milk [OR 1.10 (1.02-1.18) 100 g/day] in the femoral territory. The association was protective for low-fat milk in the carotid territory [OR 0.93 (0.88-0.99) 100g/day]. There was also a protective association with bottled fruit juices in the femoral territory [0.84 (0.74-0.94) 100g/day]. Our results suggest a detrimental association with the consumption of coffee, as well as with whole-fat milk and the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. Therefore, an element of prudence excluding water and low-fat milk, must be applied when recommending beverage consumption.

Genetic Variations on Redox Control in Cardiometabolic Diseases: The Role of Nrf2

The transcription factor Nrf2 is a master regulator of multiple cytoprotective genes that maintain redox homeostasis and exert anti-inflammatory functions. The Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway is a paramount target of many cardioprotective strategies, because redox homeostasis is essential in cardiovascular health. Nrf2 gene variations, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are correlated with cardiometabolic diseases and drug responses. SNPs of Nrf2, KEAP1, and other related genes can impair the transcriptional activation or the activity of the resulting protein, exerting differential susceptibility to cardiometabolic disease progression and prevalence. Further understanding of the implications of Nrf2 polymorphisms on basic cellular processes involved in cardiometabolic diseases progression and prevalence will be helpful to establish more accurate protective strategies. This review provides insight into the association between the polymorphisms of Nrf2-related genes with cardiometabolic diseases. We also briefly describe that SNPs of Nrf2-related genes are potential modifiers of the pharmacokinetics that contribute to the inter-individual variability.

Associations of Blood Caffeine and Genetically Predicted Coffee Consumption with Anthropometric Measures of Obesity: A Two Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

OBJECTIVES

In observational studies, caffeine has been associated with a lower risk of obesity. However, whether the associations are causal and apply to coffee, which is a mixture of chemical compounds is unclear.

DESIGN

Two sample Mendelian randomization study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Genetic instruments predicting caffeine were extracted from an existing GWAS of serum metabolites in 1960 individuals of European descent. For coffee consumption up to 91,462 individuals of European ancestry with top SNPs followed-up in ~30,062 coffee consumers and up to 375,833 individuals of European ancestry were taken from two separate studies. Genetic associations with obesity classes (n= 263,407), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (n=210,086), waist circumference (WC) (n= 231,355), and hip circumference (HC) (n=211,117) were obtained from summary statistics of individuals of European ancestry from the Genetic Investigation of Anthropocentric Traits (GIANT).

METHODS

The inverse-variance weighted method (IVW) was used as the main analysis. We also employed the weighted median approach (WM) and MR-Egger regression as sensitivity analyses. To gauge evidence of directional pleiotropy, we used Cochrane's Q test, and MR-PRESSO global test, as measures of heterogeneity between ratio estimates of variants.

RESULTS

There was little evidence to support an association between blood caffeine and any anthropometric measure of obesity in the primary and sensitivity analyses. However, genetically predicted coffee consumption was positively associated with higher class I obesity and WHR. Furthermore, this association was maintained after correction for multiple testing (P < 0.05/6 = 0.008). Results from the GWAS of coffee consumption were in tandem with results from the GWMA, but associations with class I obesity and waist to hip ratio (WHR) were not maintained after correction for multiple testing.

CONCLUSION

We found little evidence that caffeine or coffee consumption protects against obesity, adding to growing literature suggesting that previous observational studies may have been confounded. This study demonstrates the dangers of ignoring genetic testing for targeted interventions and basing dietary policy recommendations solely on observational studies restricted to specific populations.