I don't think the majority of sci.med.nutrition readers read
sci.life-extension and think this post would be of interest here.
Stuart//
Heart Vessels. 2004 Nov;19(6):280-6. Related Articles, Links
The association between coffee consumption and plasma total
homocysteine levels: the "ATTICA" study.
Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Zampelas A, Zeimbekis A, Chrysohoou C,
Papademetriou L, Stefanadis C.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens,
Greece
The aim of this work was to investigate the association between
homocysteine levels and coffee consumption in a sample of cardiovascular
disease-free men and women. From May 2001 to December 2002, we randomly
enrolled 1514 men and 1528 women, stratified by age and gender, from the
greater area of Athens. Blood samples were collected in the fasting
state. Among other investigated factors, dietary habits (including
coffee consumption in ml per day, adjusted for 28% caffeine containment)
were evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Men
consumed higher quantities of coffee compared with women (250 +/- 55 vs
150 +/- 60 ml/day, P = 0.001), while homocysteine values were also
higher in men than in women (14.5 +/- 6 vs 10.8 +/- 3.5 micromol/l, P =
0.001). A dose-response relationship of homocysteine levels with coffee
consumption was observed (r = 0.10, P = 0.034). In particular, we found
that homocysteine levels were 11.2 +/- 5 micromol/l for no consumption,
11.7 +/- 7 micromol/l for <100 ml/day, 12.5 +/- 7 micromol/l for 200-400
ml/day, and 12.7 +/- 4 micromol/l for >500 ml/day consumption (P =
0.018). The observed trend remained significant even after controlling
for the interactions between coffee consumption with gender, smoking
habits, physical activity status, and eating habits. However, the sole
effect of the consumption of filtered coffee on homocysteine levels was
significant only in those who consumed more than 500 ml/day (P = 0.043).
Although our findings cannot be evidence for causality, they can be the
basis for hypotheses about the relation between homocysteine and coffee
that can partially explain the mechanisms by which elevated homocysteine
levels may influence coronary risk.
PMID: 15799175 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Ann Nutr Metab. 2005 May-Jun;49(3):149-54. Epub 2005 Jun 1. Related
Articles, Links
Click here to read
Relationship of coffee consumption with risk factors of
atherosclerosis in rats.
Sakamoto W, Isomura H, Fujie K, Takahashi K, Nakao K, Izumi H.
Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Hokkaido
University, Sapporo, Japan.
AIMS: In experimental animals we investigated the relationship of
coffee consumption with risk factors of atherosclerosis such as
cholesterol, homocysteine, oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines.
METHODS: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were assigned to 3 treatment
groups (a control diet group, 0.62% coffee diet group, and 1.36% coffee
diet group), and animals were maintained on the experimental diets for
140 days. RESULTS: Coffee diets led to an increase in the caffeine
concentration to 0.53 +/- 0.11 and 1.77 +/- 0.22 microg/ml,
respectively, although caffeine in serum was not detected in rats fed
the control diet. It also led to slightly increased total serum levels
of homocysteine and cholesterol, but no significant differences were
found between the control and coffee diet groups. Coffee intake did not
affect the production of IL-6 and TNF-alpha induced by LPS, which
contributes to the atheroma-promoting effect of recurrent bacterial
infection. Regarding the biomarkers of oxidative stress, the serum level
of 15-isoprostane F(2t), which was significantly increased by LPS
injection, was not altered by coffee intake. In contrast, urinary
8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine was significantly increased in the coffee
diet groups (p < 0.05). On the other hand, serum glutathione peroxidase
(GPx) activity tended to decrease in the coffee groups compared with the
control group, but no significant difference was found between the
control and coffee diet groups. Interestingly, a significant negative
correlation was observed between GPx activity and homocysteine levels in
the sera from control and coffee diet groups (r = -0.403, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: This report is the first animal study on the relationship
of coffee consumption with risk factors for atherosclerosis. From these
results, we conclude that moderate coffee intake is not a risk factor
for atherogenesis. 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
PMID: 15942160 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2005 Nov;84(11):1049-54. Related Articles,
Links
Click here to read
In pregnant women who smoke, caffeine consumption is associated with
an increased level of homocysteine.
Carlsen SM, Jacobsen G, Vatten L, Romundstad P.
Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
AIM. To investigate whether maternal caffeine consumption is
associated with increased maternal homocysteine (Hcy) levels in
uncomplicated pregnancies. METHODS. Ninety-two pregnant women were
randomly selected, and maternal serum levels of folate, vitamin B(12),
and Hcy at gestational weeks 17 and 33 were measured. Caffeine
consumption was estimated from dietary records collected at the same
gestational ages. RESULTS. In women who smoked, Hcy levels were
associated with caffeine consumption both in gestational weeks 17 and 33
and with folate at week 33. Consumption of one cup of coffee was
associated with an increase in maternal Hcy of 0.26 micromol/l at week
17 and 0.69 micromol/l at week 33, indicating that one extra cup (150
ml) of coffee per day may increase Hcy by 5--10% in pregnant smokers. In
non-smokers, caffeine consumption was not associated with Hcy levels.
CONCLUSIONS. In uncomplicated pregnancies, maternal caffeine consumption
early in the second and in the third trimester is associated with
increased maternal Hcy levels in women who smoked, but not in
non-smokers.
Publication Types:
* Multicenter Study
PMID: 16232171 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]