The relationship between coffee intake, obstructive sleep apnea risk, and type 2 diabetes glycemic control, in Tabuk City, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a case-control study

Genetic association between coffee/caffeine consumption and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea in the European population: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

The association between coffee/caffeine consumption and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk remains unclear.

PURPOSE

To determine the relationship between coffee/caffeine consumption and the risk of OSA, using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method in the European population.

METHODS

Two sets of coffee consumption-associated genetic variants were, respectively, extracted from the recent genome-wide meta-analysis (GWMA) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) of coffee consumption. Taking other caffeine sources into account, genetic variants associated with caffeine consumption from tea and plasma caffeine (reflecting total caffeine intake) were also obtained. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) technique was utilized as the primary analysis, supplemented by the MR-Egger, weighted-median, and MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (PRESSO) techniques. Leave-one-out (LOO) analysis was performed to assess whether the overall casual estimates were driven by a single SNP. Additional sensitivity analyses were performed using similar methods, while the genetic variants associated with confounders, e.g., body mass index and hypertension, were excluded.

RESULTS

The IVW method demonstrated that coffee consumption GWMA (OR: 1.065, 95% CI 0.927-1.224, p = 0.376), coffee consumption GWAS (OR: 1.665, 95% CI 0.932-2.977, p = 0.086), caffeine from tea (OR: 1.198, 95% CI 0.936-1.534, p = 0.151), and blood caffeine levels (OR: 1.054, 95% CI 0.902-1.231, p = 0.508) were unlikely to be associated with the risk of OSA. The other three methods presented similar results, where no significant associations were found. No single genetic variant was driving the overall estimates by the LOO analysis. These findings were also supported by the sensitivity analyses with no confounding genetic variants.

CONCLUSION

Our study found no association between coffee/caffeine consumption and the risk of OSA.

Cellular Metabolism: A Fundamental Component of Degeneration in the Nervous System

It is estimated that, at minimum, 500 million individuals suffer from cellular metabolic dysfunction, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), throughout the world. Even more concerning is the knowledge that metabolic disease is intimately tied to neurodegenerative disorders, affecting both the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as leading to dementia, the seventh leading cause of death. New and innovative therapeutic strategies that address cellular metabolism, apoptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK), growth factor signaling with erythropoietin (EPO), and risk factors such as the apolipoprotein E (APOE-ε4) gene and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can offer valuable insights for the clinical care and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders impacted by cellular metabolic disease. Critical insight into and modulation of these complex pathways are required since mTOR signaling pathways, such as AMPK activation, can improve memory retention in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and DM, promote healthy aging, facilitate clearance of β-amyloid (Aß) and tau in the brain, and control inflammation, but also may lead to cognitive loss and long-COVID syndrome through mechanisms that can include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, cytokine release, and APOE-ε4 if pathways such as autophagy and other mechanisms of programmed cell death are left unchecked.

Prevalence of patients at risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea based on the STOP-BANG questionnaire at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry

OBJECTIVE

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder. Its susceptibility can easily be detected when it is at an early stage as can patients who are at risk of OSA. A simple questionnaire such as STOP-BANG (SB) can facilitate early detection. Our study aims to assess the risk of OSA and evaluate its correlating risk factors in patients attending King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using the SB questionnaire.

METHODS

Ethical approval was obtained. A random sample of patients ages 18-80 years, who visited KAUFD between November 2016 and April 2017 were recruited. Three highly trained and calibrated dental interns obtained the following measurements (weight, height, blood pressure, and neck circumference) and administered the questionnaire in a face-to-face interview.

RESULTS

A total of 55 patients (62% females) participated in the study with a mean age of 34.6 years and hypertension reported as 16.4%. According to the SB, 31% of patients were found at high risk of OSA. Large neck circumference (40.22[±4.7] cm) and gender (66% males) were found to be significantly correlated with high-risk patients; p < .001.

CONCLUSION

Approximately one third of the patients were at high risk of OSA, with men and patients having large neck circumference being significantly more affected. Systolic blood pressure, hypertension, and smoking were found to be high in high-risk patients. However, they were not statistically and significantly different from those patients who were not in high risk. The role of a dentist should be to utilize the questionnaire to detect any patient at risk of OSA and refer them accordingly.

Overall diet quality and proinflammatory diet in relation to risk of obstructive sleep apnea in 3 prospective US cohorts

BACKGROUND

Inflammation-related mechanisms may be important in the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and diet plays a crucial role in modulating inflammation. Current epidemiologic evidence for the associations between dietary patterns and OSA risk is limited to cross-sectional studies.

OBJECTIVES

We investigated prospectively the associations of overall diet quality and proinflammatory diet with OSA risk.

METHODS

We followed 145,801 participants in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) (2002-2012), NHS II (1995-2013), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1996-2012). Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI) and Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) scores were calculated based on validated FFQs administered every 4 y. Cox models were used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs.

RESULTS

We documented 8856 incident OSA cases during follow-up. In pooled analyses adjusted for potential confounders, higher diet quality (higher AHEI scores) was associated with lower OSA risk (HR comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of AHEI: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.82; P-trend < 0.001), and higher dietary inflammatory potential (higher EDIP scores) was associated with significantly increased risk (HR comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of EDIP: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.81, 2.08; P-trend < 0.001). Additional adjustment for metabolic factors attenuated both associations. The association with AHEI score was no longer statistically significant (comparable HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.05; P-trend = 0.54), whereas the association with EDIP score remained statistically significant (comparable HR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.41; P-trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A healthier diet, particularly one with anti-inflammatory potential, was associated with lower OSA risk.

Sugar-Sweetened Coffee Intake and Blood Glucose Management in Korean Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

One of the most frequently consumed beverages by Korean adults is 3-in-1 coffee (mixed coffee) with sugar and creamer. Hence, understanding the effect of sugar-sweetened coffee (SSC) consumption on blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is important. This study was conducted using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2008 to 2020. In total, 5671 patients with DM were included in the analysis. Coffee consumption patterns were assessed using a 24 h recall. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were used to evaluate whether patients reached the glycemic control targets defined by the Korean Diabetes Association. In total, 46.57% of patients with DM included in this analysis consumed SSC. Patients who frequently consumed SSC had significantly higher FBG and HbA1c levels than those who did not (both p for trend <0.01). In a multivariate logistic regression model, the odds ratios of not achieving the target FBG and HbA1c levels were 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03−1.48, p for trend = 0.01) and 1.29 (95% CI: 1.05−1.58, p for trend = 0.009), respectively. Frequent consumption of SSC can cause difficulty in FBG and HbA1c management in patients with DM.

Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: Gaining Insight through Circadian Clock Gene Pathways

Neurodegenerative disorders affect fifteen percent of the world's population and pose a significant financial burden to all nations. Cognitive impairment is the seventh leading cause of death throughout the globe. Given the enormous challenges to treat cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, and the inability to markedly limit disease progression, circadian clock gene pathways offer an exciting strategy to address cognitive loss. Alterations in circadian clock genes can result in age-related motor deficits, affect treatment regimens with neurodegenerative disorders, and lead to the onset and progression of dementia. Interestingly, circadian pathways hold an intricate relationship with autophagy, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), the silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (SIRT1), mammalian forkhead transcription factors (FoxOs), and the trophic factor erythropoietin. Autophagy induction is necessary to maintain circadian rhythm homeostasis and limit cortical neurodegenerative disease, but requires a fine balance in biological activity to foster proper circadian clock gene regulation that is intimately dependent upon mTOR, SIRT1, FoxOs, and growth factor expression. Circadian rhythm mechanisms offer innovative prospects for the development of new avenues to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of cognitive loss and forge ahead with new therapeutics for dementia that can offer effective clinical treatments.