Coffee Intake and Elevated Cholesterol and Apolipoprotein B Levels in Men
- Paul T. Williams, MS;
- Peter D. Wood, DSc;
- Karen M. Vranizan, MA;
- John J. Albers, PhD;
- Susan C. Garay, MS;
- C. Barr Taylor, MD
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≤.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.
(JAMA 1985;253:1407-1411)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, 730 Welch Rd, Suite B, Stanford, CA 94305 (Mr Williams).
