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Coffee and cholesterol, an Italian study.

In the present study, conducted in northern Italy between 1986 and 1989, the authors investigated the possible association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels in 8,983 subjects, 7,432 men and 1,551 women, managers and employees aged 18-65 years, who were examined during a program of preventive medicine upon an agreement between various companies and the Centro Diagnostico Italiano. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the serum cholesterol levels of the subjects subdivided according to coffee consumption, along with age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and physical activity. An important relation was demonstrated between coffee intake and cholesterol, particularly in the men, the differences in serum cholesterol in the coffee users compared with the nonusers being 6.1 +/- 1.4 (standard error) mg/dl for consumers of 1-3 cups/day (3.4 +/- 1.4 mg/dl after adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol and cigarette consumption, and physical activity), 9.9 +/- 1.6 mg/dl for those drinking 4-5 cups/day (5.8 +/- 1.6 mg/dl after adjustment), and 14.8 +/- 2.0 mg/dl for those drinking over 5 cups/day (9.6 +/- 2.0 mg/dl after adjustment). This relation remained substantially unvaried when nonsmokers and smokers were analyzed separately. It has been suggested that it is coffee prepared by boiling rather than other methods that has a hypercholesterolemic effect. Our observations demonstrate an interesting relation between coffee and cholesterol, even though the coffee drunk in Italy is mainly filtered and nonboiled. However, our finding is not necessarily in disagreement with the above hypothesis since, when coffee is prepared in the Italian way (with the mocha method), ground coffee is preheated by steam and more importantly, the water passes through the ground coffee at a higher temperature than with the other brewing methods.

Adolescent↗

Coffee and cancer: a review of epidemiological studies, 1990-1999.

Epidemiological studies on the relation between coffee consumption and cancer risk have been mainly focused on cancers of the urinary bladder, pancreas and colorectum. The relation between coffee and bladder cancer is controversial, despite a large number of studies published over the last three decades. In most studies, the risk tends to be higher in coffee drinkers than in those who do not drink coffee, but the excess risk is generally moderate and is neither dose- nor duration-related. Thus, a strong association between coffee drinking and bladder cancer can be excluded, although it is still unclear whether the weak association is causal or nonspecific and due to some bias or confounding. For pancreatic cancer, a possible association with coffee consumption has been postulated in a large case-control study published in 1981; since then, however, most studies have shown no substantial association, and overall evidence suggests that coffee is not materially related to pancreatic cancer risk. Overall evidence on the coffee-colorectal cancer relation suggests an inverse association, since most case-control studies found odds ratios below unity, particularly for colon cancer. The pattern of risk is less clear for cohort studies. A plausible biological explanation has been given in terms of coffee-related reduction of bile acids and neutral sterol secretion in the colon. For other cancer sites, including oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach, liver, breast, ovary, kidney and lymphoid neoplasms, the relation of coffee drinking with cancer risk has been less extensively investigated, but the evidence is largely reassuring.

Coffee↗

Effect of coffee on gastro-oesophageal reflux in patients with reflux disease and healthy controls.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) report that coffee aggravates their symptoms and doctors tend to discourage its use in GORD. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of coffee ingestion on gastro-oesophageal acid reflux. DESIGN: A randomized, controlled, crossover study. PARTICIPANTS: Seven GORD patients and eight healthy subjects. METHODS: After 1 day of coffee abstinence, participants underwent 24-h oesophageal pH and manometric monitoring. At well-defined times, they ingested either 280 ml of regular paper-filtered coffee or 280 ml of warm water. Coffee or water was drunk 1 h after breakfast, during lunch, 1 h after dinner and after an overnight fast Reflux and oesophageal motility parameters were assessed for the first hour after each coffee or water intake. RESULTS: Coffee had no effect on postprandial acid reflux time or number of reflux episodes, either in GORD patients or in healthy subjects. Coffee increased the percentage acid reflux time only when ingested in the fasting period in the GORD patients (median 2.6, range 0-19.3 versus median 0, range 0-8.3; P = 0.028), but not in the healthy subjects. No effect of coffee on postprandial lower oesophageal sphincter pressure (LOSP), patterns of LOSP associated with reflux episodes or oesophageal contractions was found. CONCLUSION: Coffee has no important effect on gastro-oesophageal acid reflux in GORD patients, and no effect at all in healthy subjects.

Adult↗

Effect of decaffeination of coffee or tea on gastro-oesophageal reflux.

BACKGROUND: Coffee and tea are believed to cause gastro-oesophageal reflux; however, the effects of these beverages and of their major component, caffeine, have not been quantified. The aim of this study was to evaluate gastro-oesophageal reflux induced by coffee and tea before and after a decaffeination process, and to compare it with water and water-containing caffeine. METHODS: Three-hour ambulatory pH-metry was performed on 16 healthy volunteers, who received 300 ml of (i) regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tap water (n = 16), (ii) normal tea, decaffeinated tea, tap water, or coffee adapted to normal tea in caffeine concentration (n = 6), and (iii) caffeine-free and caffeine-containing water (n = 8) together with a standardized breakfast. RESULTS: Regular coffee induced a significant (P < 0.05) gastro-oesophageal reflux compared with tap water and normal tea, which were not different from each other. Decaffeination of coffee significantly (P < 0.05) diminished gastro-oesophageal reflux, whereas decaffeination of tea or addition of caffeine to water had no effect. Coffee adapted to normal tea in caffeine concentration significantly (P < 0.05) increased gastro-oesophageal reflux. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee, in contrast to tea, increases gastro-oesophageal reflux, an effect that is less pronounced after decaffeination. Caffeine does not seem to be responsible for gastro-oesophageal reflux which must be attributed to other components of coffee.

Adult↗

Association between coffee drinking and K-ras mutations in exocrine pancreatic cancer. PANKRAS II Study Group.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To analyse the relation between coffee consumption and mutations in the K-ras gene in exocrine pancreatic cancer. DESIGN: Case-case study. Consumption of coffee among cases with the activating mutation in the K-ras gene was compared with that of cases without the mutation. SETTING AND PATIENTS: All cases of pancreatic cancer newly diagnosed at five hospitals in Spain during three years were included in the PANKRAS II Study (n = 185, of whom 121 whose tissue was available for molecular analysis are the object of the present report). Over 88% were personally interviewed in hospital. DNA was amplified from paraffin wax embedded tissues, and mutations in codon 12 of K-ras were detected by the artificial RFLP technique. MAIN RESULTS: Mutations were found in tumours from 94 of 121 patients (77.7%). Mutations were more common among regular coffee drinkers than among non-regular coffee drinkers (82.0% v 55.6%, p = 0.018, n = 107). The odds ratio adjusted by age, sex, smoking and alcohol drinking was 5.41 (95% CI 1.64, 17.78). The weekly intake of coffee was significantly higher among patients with a mutated tumour (mean of 14.5 cups/week v 8.8 among patients with a wild type tumour, p < 0.05). With respect to non-regular coffee drinkers, the odds ratio of a mutated tumour adjusted by age, sex, smoking and alcohol drinking was 3.26 for drinkers of 2-7 cups/week, 5.77 for drinkers of 8-14 cups/week and 9.99 for drinkers of > or = 15 cups/week (p < 0.01, test for trend). CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer cases without activating mutations in the K-ras gene had drank significantly less coffee than cases with a mutation, with a significant dose response relation: the less they drank, the less likely their tumours were to harbour a mutation. In exocrine pancreatic cancer the K-ras gene may be activated less often among non-regular coffee drinkers than among regular drinkers. Caffeine, other coffee compounds or other factors with which coffee drinking is associated may modulate K-ras activation.

Adolescent↗

Immunological and respiratory changes in coffee workers.

Immunological status and respiratory function were studied in a group of 45 coffee workers. Skin tests with coffee allergens demonstrated the highest percentage of positive reactions to dust collected during emptying bags (40.0%), followed by dust of green (12%) and then roasted coffee (8.9%). Among 34 skin-tested control workers, 14.7% had positive skin reaction to dust collected during emptying bags, but none had positive skin reaction to green or roasted coffee. Serum levels of total IgE were increased in 24.4% of coffee workers and in 5.9% of control subjects. The prevalence of all chronic respiratory symptoms was significantly higher in coffee workers than in control subjects. Coffee workers with positive skin tests to coffee allergen had a significantly higher prevalence of chronic cough (63.6%) and chronic phlegm (72.7%) than those with negative skin tests (32.4% and 23.5% respectively). There was a significant mean decrease over the Monday work shift in the maximum expiratory flow rate at 50% of vital capacity (MEF50: -7.9%) and at 25% vital capacity (MEF25: -17.8%), suggesting an obstructive effect mostly in smaller airways. Coffee workers with positive skin tests to coffee allergens had larger acute reductions in flow rates than those with negative skin tests but the difference was not statistically significant.

Adult↗

Effect of coffee consumption on intraocular pressure.

BACKGROUND: Many ophthalmologists instruct patients with glaucoma to avoid coffee, although data supporting this practice are insufficient. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of drinking coffee on intraocular pressure (IOP). METHODS: In this crossover study, the effect of the consumption of regular (180 mg caffeine in 200 mL beverage) and decaffeinated coffee (3.6 mg caffeine in 200 mL beverage) was compared in patients with normotensive glaucoma (n = 6) or ocular hypertension (n = 22). IOP was monitored in both groups at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after coffee ingestion. RESULTS: In patients with normotensive glaucoma who drank regular coffee, the mean +/- SD changes in IOP at 30, 60, and 90 minutes were 0.9 +/- 0.5, 3.6 +/- 1.1, and 2.3 +/- 0.66 mm Hg, respectively; in those who drank decaffeinated coffee, they were 0.75 +/- 0.36, 0.70 +/- 0.4, and 0.4 +/- 0.6 mm Hg, respectively. The corresponding values in patients with ocular hypertension were as follows: after regular coffee, 1.1 +/- 0.7, 3.4 +/- 1.0, and 3.0 +/- 2.7 mm Hg; and after decaffeinated coffee, 0.6 +/- 0.4, 0.9 +/- 0.2, and 0.5 +/- 0.5 mm Hg. The difference in the change in IOP from baseline after ingestion of regular versus decaffeinated coffee was statistically significant in each group at 60 and 90 minutes. Subjects who drank regular coffee demonstrated a greater elevation in IOP; this elevation may be clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of caffeinated beverage (>/=180 mg caffeine) may not be recommended for patients with normotensive glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Blood Pressure↗

Coffee drinking and cancer of the lower urinary tract.

The relationship between coffee drinking and cancer of the lower urinary tract (LUT) was investigated by a case-control study of white women identified from hospitals in urban areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Data on coffee drinking, tea drinking, use of coffee additives, and cigarette smoking were obtained by mail questionnaire. Information was available for 135 women with LUT cancer and 390 controls. For women who usually drank 1+ cups of coffee per day, the risk ratio of having LUT cancer was 2.1 (95 percent confidence limits, 1.1-4.3), compared to a risk of 1 for women who drank less or not at all. However, no dose-response relationship was demonstrated between LUT cancer and usual daily coffee consumption or "cup-years" of coffee drinking. The association of coffee with disease was no different, whether decaffeinated, nondecaffeinated, regular, or instant coffee had been drunk, or whether the coffee was brewed strong or weak. Use of nondairy creamers, saccharin, or cyclamates was not associated with increased risk of disease. The risk of LUT cancer for cigarette smokers relative to nonsmokers was 1.6 (1.0-2.4). The attendant dose-response relationship was statistically significant. The absence of a dose-response relationship between coffee drinking and LUT cancer suggested that the association observed was noncasual.

Aged↗

Haemodynamic effects of coffee and purified caffeine in normal volunteers: a placebo-controlled clinical study.

In order to evaluate the effects of 'espresso' Italian coffee on resting flow, blood pressure, and peripheral resistance, 15 non-coffee drinking healthy volunteers received 2 cups of regular coffee, 200 mg purified caffeine or placebo in a latin square double-blind crossover protocol. Before and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after ingestion, segmental resting flow and BP were measured and peripheral resistance was calculated. An echocardiogram was also performed before and 60 and 120 min after caffeine intake. Both regular coffee and caffeine produced a significant decrease in resting flow and a significant increase in resistance; both systolic and diastolic BP also increased, although not significantly. No variation was observed in heart rate and in cardiac contractility. Placebo (highly decaffeinated coffee for regular coffee and china bitter extract for caffeine) did not produce any haemodynamic effect. In five other healthy volunteers used to drinking more than 5 cups of coffee a day, coffee administration had no effect. These data demonstrate that the caffeine contained in espresso Italian coffee is a vasoconstrictor agent whose effects however are completely blunted in usual coffee drinkers as a consequence of adaptation.

Adult↗

[The assessment of the influence of natural coffee and its modified form on the level of homocysteine, vitamin B6 and folic acid in healthy volunteers].

UNLABELLED: The aim of our investigation was the assessment of the influence of natural coffee and that modified by water and pressure extraction (60% less of 2-methyl isoborneol) on the level of homocysteine, folic acid and vitamin B6 in healthy volunteers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 36 healthy volunteers. 20 women and 16 men; smokers constituted half of the group. The study was conducted as a double blind trial (coffee without labels) after randomization into two groups. Initially for 4 weeks, one group drank natural coffee and the other a modified one. After four weeks there was a 28-day break in drinking coffee, after which the groups swapped roles and another trial lasted for the subsequent 4 weeks. All people examined drank three servings of coffee a day brewed from 13 g of material in 180 ml of boiling water. Throughout the entire experiment the examined subjects did not change their diets and did not take any vitamin supplements. Blood for analysis was drawn four times and the following analyses were carried out. homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B6 total, LDL and HDL-cholesterol, triglicerides, Lp(a) and fibrinogen. RESULTS: We found a significant increase level of plasma homocysteine from 9.6 to 11.4 micromol/l (p < 0.001) in persons drinking natural, unfiltered coffee. However drinking modified coffee free from irritants resulted in a tendency towards lowering the level of homocysteine (from 9.1 to 8.7 micromol/l). CONCLUSIONS: From the above study it may be concluded that lowering the content of irritants in coffee results in reducing its undesired influence on the homocysteine level. Reduction of natural coffee consumption or its change on coffee with lowering the content of irritants should be recommended to cardiovascular disease persons.

Adult↗

[Coffee consumption and the decreased risk of diabetes mellitus type 2].

Coffee is among the most commonly consumed beverages in The Netherlands. Caffeine can acutely lower insulin sensitivity, but it is not clear whether tolerance for this effect develops after long-term regular intake. Furthermore, it is plausible that the effects of coffee are different from those of caffeine. Coffee contains hundreds of substances and there are indications that certain components may partly counter-act the effect of caffeine or may have independent beneficial effects. Intake of the coffee components chlorogenic acid, quinides, lignans, and trigonelline improved glucose metabolism in animal studies. Habitual coffee consumption has been studied in relation to the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 in 12 cohort studies in Europe, the USA, and Japan. Generally, high coffee consumption was associated with a substantially lower risk of type-2 diabetes. The findings were similar for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that the non-caffeine components of coffee may be responsible. Identification of these coffee components may lead to the development or selection of coffee types with improved effects on health.

Coffee↗

A randomized study on coffee and blood pressure.

The effects of coffee on blood pressure and heart-rate and the mediating effect of two common brewing methods, were studied in a randomized trial in 107 young, normotensive adults. After a three-week run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups, receiving either (1) 4-6 cups filtered coffee per day, (2) 4-6 cups boiled coffee per day, or (3) no coffee at all for a period of nine weeks. Because all participants consumed filtered coffee before the trial, the group continuing on filtered coffee was considered as the reference group. Both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased in the abstinence group. Compared to the filter group, only the fall in SBP after 9 weeks was statistically significant, -6.1 mmHg (95% confidence limits -10.8, -1.4). After adjustment for SBP at baseline and body weight change during the study, the observed reduction decreased, to -3.4 mmHg (-7.1, 0.3). The patterns for SBP and DBP were remarkably similar in the groups using either filtered coffee or boiled coffee. After 9 weeks of boiled coffee, mean changes from baseline for SBP and DBP were 0.4 mmHg (-3.7, 4.5) and -0.1 mmHg (-3.4, 3.2), compared to the filter group. The heart rate showed a slight, non-significant decrease in the abstinence group. In conclusion, these findings suggest that abstinence from coffee for a period of several weeks may slightly reduce blood pressure in young normotensive subjects.

Adolescent↗

[Effect of untreated and non-irritating purified coffee and carbonic acid hydroxytryptamides on the gastric mucosa in the rat].

Commercial coffees frequently are processed to reduce the gastric irritation perceived by many coffee consumers. The influence of coffee infusions on gastric mucosa of rats was studied by observing the frequency of distention ulcers. Two kinds of coffee were used: untreated and treated coffee with decreased carbonic acid hydroxytryptamide-content. Infusions of untreated coffee given ad libitum induced severe gastric lesions after a period of at least 13 weeks, while treated coffee did not. In treated coffee the amount of carbonic acid hydroxytryptamides (CHT) is considerably decreased by the so-called CHT-procedure. Further, the ulcerogenic effect of CHT was studied by feeding experiments in rats with the same method resulting in severe lesions of the rat stomach after 3 and 8 weeks, respectively, of feeding. The possible causal effect of the coffee constituent CHT on the ulcerogenic effect of untreated roasted coffee is discussed.

Animals↗

Influence of caffeine and/or coffee consumption on the initiation and promotion phases of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced rat mammary gland tumorigenesis.

The effect of caffeine and/or coffee consumption (via the drinking water) during the initiation phase and promotion phase of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary gland tumorigenesis in female Sprague-Dawley rats fed a commercial laboratory animal chow was examined. In the initiation studies, DMBA was administered once at 53-55 days of age; caffeine (100-860 mg/liter of drinking water) and/or coffee (moderate or high dose, sole source of drinking water) treatments were for 32 consecutive days, commencing 29 days prior to DMBA treatment and terminating 3 days after DMBA treatment. In the promotion studies, DMBA was administered once at 54-55 days of age; caffeine and/or coffee treatments were daily from 57-58 days of age to termination of experiments (12-21 weeks after carcinogen treatment). In the initiation studies, either moderate (100-400 mg) or high (860 mg) dose levels of caffeine or moderate to high dose levels of caffeinated coffee significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced mammary carcinoma multiplicity (number of tumors/rat). Consumption of high or moderate dose levels of decaffeinated coffee did not significantly alter mammary carcinoma multiplicity. The addition of caffeine to the moderate dose level of decaffeinated coffee resulted in a significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in mammary carcinoma multiplicity. In the promotion studies, prolonged consumption of moderated dose levels of caffeine or moderate or high dose levels of caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee did not significantly effect mammary carcinoma multiplicity. In the early stages of promotion, however, a significant (p less than 0.05) stimulatory effect of caffeine on mammary carcinoma multiplicity was observed; an effect that was temperate and transitory. In both the initiation and promotion studies caffeine and/or coffee consumption did not significantly affect the incidence of mammary carcinomas (percentage of rats bearing mammary carcinomas) or the mean latency period of mammary tumor appearance. These results provide evidence that caffeine and/or caffeinated coffee consumption can significantly influence mammary carcinoma multiplicity in female rats treated with DMBA, an effect that is dependent upon the dose level, duration, and time-span of caffeine administration.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗

The effect of coffee consumption on serum cholesterol levels.

OBJECTIVE: Studies investigating the association of coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels report conflicting results. In an attempt to resolve this controversy, we reviewed the literature to answer the question: Is there a true positive association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels? DATA SOURCES: A Medline database search dating back to 1965 was utilized. Key words used in the search were coffee, caffeine and cholesterol. Cholesterol was expanded to include lipoproteins and LDL-, HDL- and VLDL-cholesterol. All articles that presented cholesterol data in association with coffee consumption were examined for references missed by Medline. Recently published articles were located by a hand search through Current Contents and the latest monthly editions of Index Medicus. STUDY SELECTION: Three reviewers made the decision to include all publications that met the following criteria: a) reported original experimental results; b) reported total serum cholesterol levels; and c) were published in peer-reviewed journals. DATA EXTRACTION: Two to four articles were read and analyzed each week in chronological order. Independent data extraction was performed by three reviewers, who then met as a group once a week to cross-check the analyses. DATA SYNTHESIS: A trend, representing the association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol, was calculated for each study. The trend was based on the percent difference in cholesterol values between subjects drinking four or more cups of coffee per day in comparison to those drinking zero or less than one cup of coffee each day. In order to compare studies that reported different cup sizes and different levels of intake, weighted mean cholesterol levels were calculated. In studies discussing the data in terms of correlations, trends were established according to the r values provided by the authors. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of studies demonstrated a positive trend in at least one subpopulation of their subjects, indicating that serum cholesterol levels increase with increasing coffee consumption. Stronger trends were seen among subjects drinking boiled coffee than in those drinking filtered, decaffeinated or instant coffee. However, most studies were not randomized clinical trials, and results can be countered by a number of biases prevalent in the studies, indicating the need for additional well-designed investigations to resolve remaining issues.

Bias↗

Consumption of unfiltered coffee brews in elderly Europeans. SENECA Investigators.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the consumption of unfiltered coffee brews, which contain the cholesterol-raising diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, in elderly subjects. DESIGN: Interviews of randomly selected elderly in the 1993 SENECA Study on Nutrition and the Elderly in Europe. SETTING: Nine towns in eight European countries (Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, and Northern Ireland/United Kingdom). SUBJECTS: 962 relatively healthy elderly persons (460 men, 502 women) born between 1913 and 1918. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Daily coffee consumption, classified by brewing technique. RESULTS: About 90 percent of the examinees were daily coffee users in Roskilde/Denmark (population means; men 530 ml/d, women 425 ml/d) and Culemborg/the Netherlands (men 513 ml/d, women 285 ml/d), against only 12% in Marki/Poland (population means; men 14 ml/d, women 36 ml/d) and 7% in Coimbra/Portugal (men 8 ml/d, women 0 ml/d). Drip-filtered and instant coffee, which are poor in diterpenes, were the prevalent types in most survey towns. Espresso and mocha coffee, which contain intermediate amounts of diterpenes, were consumed daily by 31% of the coffee drinkers in Switzerland and by all coffee drinkers in Italy, but intake was too low to substantially affect serum cholesterol levels. Consumption of brews that are rich in diterpenes, such as cafetiere, boiled, or Turkish/Greek coffee, was negligible in all survey towns. CONCLUSIONS: Coffee drinking is common among elderly people in some European countries, but intake of cafestol and kahweol with unfiltered coffee brews is low.

Aged↗

Coffee consumption and intrauterine growth retardation in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between coffee consumption in pregnancy and foetal growth. DESIGN: Retrospective unmatched case-control study. SETTING: Maternidade de Campinas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Pontificia Universidade Católica de Campinas, Hospital Albert Sabin. SUBJECTS: 356 mother/baby pairs who had interauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and 356 mother/baby pairs who were appropriate for gestational age (AGA). INTERVENTIONS: Newborns were classified as being IUGR according to the Lubchenco classification. Gestational age of the newborns was evaluated by the Capurro method. Coffee consumption in pregnancy was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. Coffee consumption and a range of risk factors for IUGR were stratified and entered into a logistic regression model. The final results were expressed by the attributable risk percent (AR%). RESULTS: More IUGR mothers (85.4%) than AGA mothers (70.5%) ingested coffee in pregnancy (OR = 2.45; P < 0.001). The proportion of mothers who delivered IUGR babies increased as the average consumption of coffee increased (test for trend = 31.76; P < 0.001). The tendency for heavy coffee drinkers to deliver IUGR babies remained after controlling for alcohol intake and cigarette smoking (P < 0.001). According to the logistic regression model and to the attributable risk percent (AR% = 28.0%), coffee consumption, (independent of average coffee consumption) was an important preventable cause of IUGR in this Brazilian population. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend moderation in the consumption of coffee in pregnancy, since intrauterine growth retardation increases the risk of perinatal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Further large prospective studies evaluating the content of caffeine in the coffee consumed by this population is advised.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Coffee and tomato share common gene repertoires as revealed by deep sequencing of seed and cherry transcripts.

An EST database has been generated for coffee based on sequences from approximately 47,000 cDNA clones derived from five different stages/tissues, with a special focus on developing seeds. When computationally assembled, these sequences correspond to 13,175 unigenes, which were analyzed with respect to functional annotation, expression profile and evolution. Compared with Arabidopsis, the coffee unigenes encode a higher proportion of proteins related to protein modification/turnover and metabolism-an observation that may explain the high diversity of metabolites found in coffee and related species. Several gene families were found to be either expanded or unique to coffee when compared with Arabidopsis. A high proportion of these families encode proteins assigned to functions related to disease resistance. Such families may have expanded and evolved rapidly under the intense pathogen pressure experienced by a tropical, perennial species like coffee. Finally, the coffee gene repertoire was compared with that of Arabidopsis and Solanaceous species (e.g. tomato). Unlike Arabidopsis, tomato has a nearly perfect gene-for-gene match with coffee. These results are consistent with the facts that coffee and tomato have a similar genome size, chromosome karyotype (tomato, n=12; coffee n=11) and chromosome architecture. Moreover, both belong to the Asterid I clade of dicot plant families. Thus, the biology of coffee (family Rubiacaeae) and tomato (family Solanaceae) may be united into one common network of shared discoveries, resources and information.

Arabidopsis↗