High coffee intake tied to increased LDL-cholesterol levels and lower BP, study finds

The study, published in Scientific Reports, showed no association between coffee consumption and major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including heart failure, indicating coffee's neutral role in cardiovascular health.

Since the vast popularization of coffee, interest has risen in its implications on health and the cardiovascular system. Many studies have been published, attributing harmful and protective characteristics to coffee in the context of the cardiovascular system. Coffee is a complex liquid comprising more than 1000 bioactive substances. Caffeine is commonly regarded as the main driving component of mediating cardiovascular effects. There needs to be a more in-depth analysis of coffee intake and its associations with CVDs, especially heart failure and its possible precursors.

Earlier studies suggested the detrimental effects of coffee consumption on cardiovascular health; however, recent studies favour a neutral or positive impact of moderate coffee consumption.

Considering that only a few studies have assessed the associations of coffee with cardiac functional parameters measured by electrocardiography or echocardiography, Juliana Senftinger, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, and colleagues aimed to evaluate associations of coffee intake with cardiac biomarkers, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, parameters and major cardiovascular diseases in a large sample of the general population.

For this purpose, the researchers performed a cross-sectional analysis of 9009 participants of the Hamburg City Health Study, a population-based study, enrolled between 2016 and 2018 median age of 63 years. Coffee consumption was divided into three groups: low ( < 3 cups/day), moderate (3–4 cups/day), and high (> 4 cups/day).

The study revealed the following findings:

• In linear regression analyses adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and additives, high coffee consumption correlated with higher LDL-cholesterol (β = 5.92).
• Moderate and high coffee consumption correlated with lower systolic (β = − 1.91; high: β = − 3.06) and diastolic blood pressure (β = − 1.05; high: β = − 1.85).
• Different coffee consumption levels did not correlate with any investigated echocardiographic or electrocardiographic parameters nor with prevalent major cardiovascular diseases, including prior myocardial infarction and heart failure.

"Our study provides new data on the associations of coffee consumption with cardiovascular health: LDL was positive, systolic and diastolic BP inversely associated," the researchers wrote.

"Coffee consumption was not associated with CVDs or altered cardiac structure or function indicating possibly counterbalancing, neutral effects of coffee on cardiovascular health."

Reference:

Senftinger, J., Nikorowitsch, J., Borof, K. et al. Coffee consumption and associations with blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol and echocardiographic measures in the general population. Sci Rep 13, 4668 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31857-5