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Caffeinated beverage intake and the risk of heart disease mortality in the elderly: a prospective analysis

James A Greenberg1, Christopher C Dunbar, Roseanne Schnoll

  • 1Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 11210, USA. jamesg@brooklyn.cuny.edu

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|February 8, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Caffeinated beverage consumption may reduce heart disease mortality in older adults. This protective effect was observed in individuals not severely hypertensive, suggesting a potential benefit for elderly cardiovascular health.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Aging increases the risk of cardiovascular events, potentially exacerbated by postprandial hypotension.
  • Caffeine's potential to mitigate these risks in the elderly warrants investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if caffeinated beverage consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in older adults.
  • To analyze prospective cohort data to test this hypothesis.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study involving 6594 participants aged 32-86 years.
  • Cox regression analyses were used to assess CVD mortality over an 8.8-year follow-up period.
  • Data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study were utilized.

Main Results:

  • Higher intake of caffeinated beverages was linked to a lower relative risk of CVD and heart disease mortality in participants aged 65 years and older.
  • A significant dose-response relationship was observed, with greater consumption correlating with reduced mortality risk (P for trend = 0.003).
  • The protective effect was primarily noted in individuals who were not severely hypertensive and was not significant for cerebrovascular disease mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Habitual consumption of caffeinated beverages appears to offer protection against heart disease mortality in elderly individuals.
  • This finding suggests a potential role for caffeine in supporting cardiovascular health in aging populations.
Abstract

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