Long-term heavy coffee consumption (six or more cups a day) may lead to unfavourable lipid (fat) profile, which could potentially increase individuals’ risk for cardiovascular disease, accoring to a new genetic study. The findings may have clinical relevance for people with elevated LDL (low-density-lipoprotein) cholesterol.
Zhou & Hyppönen observed a positive dose-dependent association between self-reported coffee intake and plasma concentration of low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, with the highest lipid levels seen among participants reported drinking over 6 cups/day. Image credit: Ermal Tahiri.
“There’s certainly a lot of scientific debate about the pros and cons of coffee, but while it may seem like we’re going over old ground, it’s essential to fully understand how one of the world’s most widely consumed drinks can impact our health,” said lead author Professor Elina Hyppönen, a researcher at the University of South Australia, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, and the UCL Institute of Child Health.
As hyperlipidemia is a well-established contributor to cardiovascular disease risk, Professor Hyppönen and her colleague Dr. Ang Zhou investigated the association between habitual coffee intake and plasma lipid profile.
They used data from up to 362,571 UK Biobank participants, aged 37-73 years, to examine phenotypic associations between self-reported coffee intake and plasma lipid profiles, including low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoproteins.
“We looked at genetic and phenotypic associations between coffee intake and plasma lipid profiles, finding causal evidence that habitual coffee consumption contributes to an adverse lipid profile which can increase your risk of heart disease,” Professor Hyppönen said.
“High levels of blood lipids are a known risk factor for heart disease, and interestingly, as coffee beans contain a very potent cholesterol-elevating compound (cafestol), it was valuable to examine them together.”
“Cafestol is mainly present in unfiltered brews, such as French press, Turkish and Greek coffees, but it’s also in espressos, which is the base for most barista-made coffees, including lattes and cappuccinos.”
“There is no, or very little cafestol in filtered and instant coffee, so with respect to effects on lipids, those are good coffee choices.”
“The implications of this study are potentially broad-reaching. In my opinion it is especially important for people with high cholesterol or who are worried about getting heart disease to carefully choose what type of coffee they drink.”
“Importantly, the coffee-lipid association is dose-dependent — the more you drink unfiltered coffee the more it raises your blood lipids, putting you at greater risk of heart disease.”
The findings were published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
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Ang Zhou & Elina Hyppönen. Habitual coffee intake and plasma lipid profile: Evidence from UK Biobank. Clinical Nutrition, published online January 11, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.12.042
Source link: https://www.sci.news/medicine/heavy-coffee-consumption-cardiovascular-disease-risk-09390.html
