title: Venous thromboembolism and coffee: critical review and meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Among the various risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE), nutrients seem to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of this condition. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between coffee intake and venous thrombosis, and we performed a critical review of clinical studies that have been published so far.
  
  
  METHODS
  An electronic search was carried out in Medline, Scopus and ISI Web of Science with the keywords "coffee" AND "venous thromboembolism" OR "deep vein thrombosis" OR "pulmonary embolism" in "Title/Abstract/Keywords", with no language and date restriction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to our criteria, three studies (two prospective and one case-control) were finally selected (inter-study heterogeneity: 78%; P<0.001). Cumulative data suggests that a modest intake of coffee (i.e., 1-4 cups/day) may be associated with an 11% increased risk of VTE compared to abstainers, whereas a larger intake (i.e., ≥5 coffee/day) may be associated with a 25% decreased risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our analysis of published data seemingly confirm the existence of a U-shape relationship between coffee intake and VTE, thus exhibiting a trend that overlaps with that previously reported for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
authors.affiliation: 1 Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Academic Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy ; 2 Service of Clinical Governance, General Hospital of Trento, Trento, Italy ; 3 Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, C. Poma Hospital, Mantova, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.affiliation: 1 Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Academic Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy ; 2 Service of Clinical Governance, General Hospital of Trento, Trento, Italy ; 3 Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, C. Poma Hospital, Mantova, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mattiuzzi
authors.affiliation: 1 Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Academic Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy ; 2 Service of Clinical Governance, General Hospital of Trento, Trento, Italy ; 3 Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, C. Poma Hospital, Mantova, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franchini
keywords: Venous thromboembolism (VTE); coffee; risk; thrombosis