Coffee consumption and serum cholesterol: an epidemiological study in Belgium

In a Belgian population group of 15,954 male and 2116 female soldiers and their spouses the relationship between coffee drinking and serum cholesterol has been studied. A moderate but highly significant monotonic positive relationship between coffee drinking and both serum total and non-high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was observed in men (p less than 0.001) even when adjusted for the confounding effects of age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, and dietary fat and cholesterol intake. Men drinking at least three cups of coffee daily had a mean level of serum total cholesterol about 4 mg/dl and of non-HDL-cholesterol about 3 mg/dl higher than those who did not drink coffee. No significant effect of coffee drinking on HDL-cholesterol was observed in men. In women coffee-drinking did not influence any of the measured serum lipids.