Coffee and Coronary Heart Disease, is there a relationship?

Abstract

Context: Coffee has been shown to increase the risk factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), including serum cholesterol, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and plasma homocysteine; however studies examining the association between coffee consumption and CHD have been inconclusive. Objective: To determine if there is a relationship between coffee consumption and development of CHD among adults. Methods: A literature review of studies published between the years 2000 to 2015, using PubMed and Medline, with the titles containing the keywords “Coffee” AND “Coronary Heart Disease”, “Coffee” AND “Artery”, or “Coffee” AND “Coronary” was conducted. Review articles, editorials, and studies conducted on clinical subpopulations were excluded; the ten articles which remained were examined. Results: While the majority of case-control studies demonstrate a positive association between coffee consumption and CHD, most cohort studies have reported no such association. Conclusions: Inconclusive results may be explained by the acute detrimental effects of coffee on coronary events, rather than a long-term adverse effect of coffee consumption