Coffee Consumption and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Genetic epidemiology
• Nutritional epidemiology

Background:

• Observational studies suggest coffee consumption is linked to lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• The causal nature of this association remains uncertain due to potential confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential causal role of coffee consumption in the risk of developing various cardiovascular diseases.
• To differentiate between observational associations and true causal effects using genetic data.

Main Methods:

• Employed a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach utilizing 12 genetic variants as instrumental variables for coffee consumption.
• Analyzed summary-level data from large cohorts (UK Biobank and FinnGen) including up to 35,979 CVD cases.
• Conducted univariable and multivariable MR analyses, adjusting for genetically predicted body mass index and smoking initiation.

Main Results:

• Genetic predisposition to higher coffee consumption showed no significant association with 15 studied cardiovascular outcomes in univariable MR.
• Multivariable MR analyses largely supported these null findings, with a suggestive positive association for intracerebral hemorrhage in one cohort.
• The odds ratios for most CVD outcomes per 50% increase in genetically predicted coffee consumption were close to 1, with wide confidence intervals.

Conclusions:

• This Mendelian randomization study provides limited evidence for a causal effect of coffee consumption on cardiovascular disease risk.
• The findings suggest that previously observed associations in observational studies may be influenced by confounding factors.
• Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the complex relationship between coffee intake and cardiovascular health.