Caffeinated beverage intake and the risk of heart disease mortality in the elderly: a prospective analysis.
BACKGROUND
Motivated by the possibility that caffeine could ameliorate the effect of postprandial hypotension on a high risk of coronary events and mortality in aging, we hypothesized that caffeinated beverage consumption decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the elderly.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to use prospective cohort study data to test whether the consumption of caffeinated beverages exhibits this protective effect.


METHODS
Cox regression analyses were conducted for 426 CVD deaths that occurred during an 8.8-y follow-up in the prospective first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. The analysis involved 6594 participants aged 32-86 y with no history of CVD at baseline.


RESULTS
Participants aged >or=65 y with higher caffeinated beverage intake exhibited lower relative risk of CVD and heart disease mortality than did participants with lower caffeinated beverage intake. It was a dose-response protective effect: the relative risk (95% CI) for heart disease mortality was 1.00 (referent), 0.77 (0.54, 1.10), 0.68 (0.49, 0.94), and 0.47 (0.32, 0.69) for <0.5, 0.5-2, 2-4, and >or=4 servings/d, respectively (P for trend = 0.003). A similar protective effect was found for caffeine intake in mg/d. The protective effective was found only in participants who were not severely hypertensive. No significant protective effect was found in participants aged <65 y or in cerebrovascular disease mortality for those aged >or=65 y.


CONCLUSIONS
Habitual intake of caffeinated beverages provided protection against the risk of heart disease mortality among elderly participants in this prospective epidemiologic analysis.
Greenberg
James A
JA
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 11210, USA. jamesg@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Dunbar
Christopher C
CC
Schnoll
Roseanne
R
Kokolis
Rodamanthos
R
Kokolis
Spyro
S
Kassotis
John
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001628:Beverages; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
D002110:Caffeine