Caffeine and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter: the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study.
BACKGROUND
It is not known whether the consumption of caffeine is associated with excess risk of atrial fibrillation.


OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter in association with daily consumption of caffeine from coffee, tea, cola, cocoa, and chocolate.


METHODS
We prospectively examined the association between the amount of caffeine consumed per day and the risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter among 47 949 participants (x age: 56 y) in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study. Subjects were followed in the Danish National Registry of Patients and in the Danish Civil Registration System. The consumption of caffeine was analyzed by quintiles with Cox proportional-hazard models.


RESULTS
During follow-up (x: 5.7 y), atrial fibrillation or flutter developed in 555 subjects (373 men and 182 women). When the lowest quintile of caffeine consumption was used as a reference, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) in quintiles 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 1.12 (0.87, 1.44), 0.85 (0.65, 1.12), 0.92 (0.71, 1.20), and 0.91 (0.70, 1.19), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Consumption of caffeine was not associated with risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter.
Frost
Lars
L
Department of Cardiology, Aarhus Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Lars.Frost@as.aaa.dk
Vestergaard
Peter
P
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000032:analysis; D003069:Coffee / Q000737:chemistry; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry
D003069:Coffee; D013662:Tea; D002110:Caffeine