Moderate Coffee and Caffeine Consumption Linked to Lower Cardiometabolic Disease Risk

New research indicates that moderate coffee and caffeine consumption may reduce the risk of multiple cardiometabolic diseases, writes Science Daily. This includes conditions like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. The study appears in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Researchers observed that regular coffee or caffeine intake, particularly at moderate levels, was linked to a decreased risk of new-onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM). This term refers to the occurrence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases. The growing prevalence of CM raises significant public health concerns as populations worldwide age.

The study suggests that coffee and caffeine may contribute crucial protective effects throughout various stages of CM development. "Consuming three cups of coffee, or 200-300 mg of caffeine daily, may help lower the risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity in individuals without existing cardiometabolic diseases," stated the lead author, Dr. Chaofu Ke, M.D., Ph.D. He is from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Soochow University, China.

Compared to non-consumers or those taking less than 100mg of caffeine daily, moderate coffee consumers (three cups daily) and caffeine consumers (200-300 mg) had a 48.1% and 40.7% lower risk for new-onset CM, respectively. The research was based on data from the UK Biobank’s extensive longitudinal dietary study, which includes over 500,000 participants aged 37-73 years. Those with unclear caffeine intake data were excluded, leaving 172,315 individuals for caffeine analyses and 188,091 for coffee and tea.

Participants' cardiometabolic disease outcomes were tracked via self-reported conditions, primary care data, hospital records, and death registries linked to the UK Biobank. Findings showed that coffee and caffeine consumption, across all levels, were inversely associated with new-onset CM risk among those without existing diseases. Individuals reporting moderate intake experienced the lowest risk levels.

These results suggest promoting moderate coffee or caffeine consumption as a beneficial dietary habit for the prevention of CM. Dr. Ke emphasized the far-reaching advantages this may have for public health.

Previous epidemiological studies have detailed how coffee, tea, and caffeine protect against single cardiometabolic diseases. However, little was known about their impact on the progression of CM as a series of interconnected conditions.

The authors of the study highlighted that those with a single cardiometabolic disease could face double the risk of all-cause mortality compared to unaffected individuals. In contrast, people with CM may experience a mortality risk that is nearly 4 to 7 times greater. They also noted that CM could lead to increased physical dysfunction and mental stress compared to single diseases.

Other contributors to the study include Xujia Lu, Guochen Li, Luying Wu, Liping Shao, Yulong Fan, and Chen-Wei Pan from Soochow University; Xiaohong Zhu from the Suzhou Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ying Wu from Southern Medical University; and Yan Borné from Lund University, Sweden.

The study received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Project of MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, and the Research on Key Technologies for the Prevention of Major Diseases in Suzhou.

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