Coffee Consumption and Circulating B-Vitamins in Healthy Middle-Aged Men and Women

Abstract

Background: Coffee consumption has been associated with several risk factors for coronary heart disease, including increased cholesterol, increased blood pressure, and increased plasma total homocysteine (tHcy). tHcy is determined by several B-vitamins. However, reports about the association between coffee intake and B-vitamin status are few. Methods: We measured plasma B-vitamins and tHcy in a cohort of 10 601 healthy, middle-aged Norwegian men and women. Information about lifestyle factors, including coffee consumption, smoking, alcohol use, height, and weight, was obtained by interview. Results: Coffee consumption was dose-dependently associated with reduced plasma B-vitamin concentrations. Compared with coffee abstainers, individuals drinking ≥4 cups/day had 11.7% (P < 0.001), 14.1% (P < 0.001), and 5.5% (P = 0.01) lower plasma concentrations of folate, pyridoxal phosphate, and riboflavin, respectively, and the mean tHcy concentration was 6.8% (P < 0.001) higher. Quantile regression analysis showed essentially no difference in B-vitamin concentrations between coffee consumption categories at low vitamin concentrations but a progressive increase in the difference at higher concentrations. This pattern of differences (effect profile) was found independently of smoking status, alcohol intake, and sex. The decrease in folate explained approximately half of the increase in tHcy. Conclusions: Coffee consumption was associated with reduced circulating B-vitamin concentrations. The observed effect profiles indicated that coffee consumption preferentially affected the upper, but not the lower, part of the B-vitamin concentration distributions. We hypothesize that coffee consumption may increase the loss of surplus B-vitamins by excretion in urine.

Coffee Consumption and Coronary Heart Disease: Paradoxical Effects on Biological Risk Factors versus Disease Incidence

“…Ulvik et al report an association between higher coffee consumption and higher plasma homocysteine concentrations in a large population-based cross-sectional study (8 ). This finding is consistent with results from previous observational studies ( 19 ) and randomized trials (4, 20 -22 ).…”

“…Fourth, risk markers may not causally affect the development of CHD, or their effects may be too modest for any increase caused by coffee consumption to translate into a substantial increase in disease risk. Research supporting these explanations are discussed, with particular focus on the association between coffee consumption and homocysteine concentrations reported by Ulvik et al in this issue of Clinical Chemistry (8 ).…”

Consumo de café segundo métodos de preparo da bebida e associação com perfil lipídico sérico em hipertensos e diabéticos

“…O café é a bebida mais consumida no Brasil e no mundo ocidental, e a associação do seu consumo com a saúde humana tem sido muito estudada, principalmente como fator de risco cardiovascular, com base nos efeitos do café sobre a elevação da pressão arterial (efeito agudo da cafeína), dos níveis séricos de homocisteína e de colesterol 22,23 , sendo este último o foco deste estudo. Diversos trabalhos apontam associação positiva entre a hiper-homocisteinemia, níveis séri-cos reduzidos de vitaminas do complexo B e consumo de café, atribuindo ao efeito diurético da cafeína a excreção desses nutrientes [23][24][25][26] , embora com resultados divergentes 27 .…”

“…Diversos trabalhos apontam associação positiva entre a hiper-homocisteinemia, níveis séri-cos reduzidos de vitaminas do complexo B e consumo de café, atribuindo ao efeito diurético da cafeína a excreção desses nutrientes [23][24][25][26] , embora com resultados divergentes 27 . A homocisteína provoca danos ao endotélio vascular, plaquetas e fatores de coagulação, o que a torna um fator de risco independente para doença coronariana, cerebrovascular e periférica 28,29 .…”

Hyperhomocysteinemia: Relation to Cardiovascular Disease and Venous Thromboembolism

“…Coffee consumption has been associated with several risk factors for coronary heart disease, including plasma total homocysteine and reduced B vitamin concentrations (Ulvike et al, 2008). Coffee drinking is associated with smoking and low intake of fruit and vegetables.…”