Excess coffee consumption linked to joint disease and obesity

Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world after water.There has been an ongoing debate as to whether coffee consumption is beneficial or detrimental to health. Current evidence of the link between coffee and health outcomes being predominately observational the results of the studies are confounding.

Researchers at University of South Australia in a new study have found that excess coffee consumption can cause poor health.It has found that higher habitual coffee consumption was harmful with respect to osteoarthrosis, other arthropathies and obesity.

The research has been published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

In earlier research conducted by Professor Hyppönen and team, six cups of coffee a day were considered the upper limit of safe consumption.

The researchers using data from over 300,000 participants in the UK Biobank examined connections between genetically instrumented habitual coffee consumption and a full range of diseases, finding that too much coffee can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, arthropathy (joint disease) and obesity.

Expert genetic epidemiologist, UniSA's Professor Elina Hyppönen, says understanding any risks associated with habitual coffee intakes could have very large implications for population health.

"Globally, we drink around three billion cups of coffee each day, so it makes sense to explore the pros and cons of this on our health," Professor Hyppönen says.

"Typically, the effects of coffee consumption are investigated using an observational approach, where comparisons are made against non-coffee-drinkers. But this can deliver misleading results.

"In this study, we used a genetic approach – called MR-PheWAS analysis – to establish the true effects of coffee consumption against 1117 clinical conditions.

"Reassuringly, our results suggest that, moderate coffee drinking is mostly safe.

"But it also showed that habitual coffee consumption increased the risks of three diseases: osteoarthritis, arthropathy and obesity, which can cause significant pain and suffering for individuals with these conditions."

Professor Hyppönen says the prevalence of these conditions in Australia and around the world shows how important it is to determine possible causes and influencers of the diseases.

"Excess coffee consumption can lead to increased risks of certain diseases," Professor Hyppönen says.

"For people with a family history of osteoarthritis or arthritis, or for those who are worried about developing these conditions, these results should act as a cautionary message.

"The body generally sends powerful messages with respect to coffee consumption, so it's imperative that individuals listen to these when consuming coffee.

"While these results are in many ways reassuring in terms of general coffee consumption, the message we should always remember is consume coffee in moderation – that's the best bet to enjoy your coffee and good health too."

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PMID: 32284183 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.03.009