Coffee intake and elevated cholesterol and apolipoprotein B levels in men

Abstract

Coffee intake from three-day diet records was studied in association with plasma lipoprotein concentrations in a cross-sectional sample of 77 middle-aged American men to determine the significance and form of their interrelationships. The number of cups consumed per day correlated positively with levels of apolipoprotein B (r = .27, P less than or equal to .01) and became more strongly correlated when adjusted for age, cigarette use, adiposity, aerobic capacity, nutrient intake, and stress. Coffee intake also correlated with total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels when adjusted for these confounding factors. Graphic analyses revealed that plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein B and LDL-cholesterol were unrelated to intake of up to 2 cups of coffee per day and positively associated with intake exceeding 2 to 3 cups. These results suggest that male heavy coffee drinkers have lipoprotein profiles suggestive of increased cardiovascular disease risk, although the causality remains to be determined.

Fig 1

Smoothed scatterplot of plasma apolipoprotein B (apo B) concentration vs regular coffee intake in 77 middle-aged American men. The plot shows no relationship between apo B and coffee below 2 to 2.5 cups/day and positive association above this level.

Fig 2

Smoothed scatterplot of plasma apolipoprotein B (top), LDL-cholesterol (center), and total cholesterol (bottom) concentrations vs coffee intake after adjustment for number of cigarettes smoked per day, age, percent body fat, maximum oxygen uptake, and other dietary factors as required.