Tag: caffeine

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Moderate Coffee and Caffeine Link to Lower Risk for Cardiometabolic Diseases

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Consuming moderate amounts of coffee and caffeine regularly may offer a protective effect against developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, according to new research published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Researchers found that regular coffee or caffeine intake, especially at moderate levels, was associated with a lower risk of new-onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM), which refers to the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases.

The prevalence of individuals with multiple cardiometabolic diseases, or CM, is becoming an increasing public health concern as populations age around the world, notes the study.

Coffee and caffeine consumption could play an important protective role in almost all phases of CM development, researchers found.

“Consuming three cups of coffee, or 200-300 mg caffeine, per day might help to reduce the risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity in individuals without any cardiometabolic disease,” said lead author Chaofu Ke, MD, PhD, at Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, in Suzhou, China.

The study found that compared with non-consumers or consumers of less than 100mg caffeine per day, consumers of moderate amount of coffee (3 drinks per day) or caffeine (200-300 mg per day) had a 48.1% or 40.7% reduced risk for new-onset CM.

Ke and his colleagues based their findings on data from the UK Biobank, a large and detailed longitudinal dietary study with over 500 000 participants aged 37-73 years. The study excluded individuals who had ambiguous information on caffeine intake. The resulting pool of participants included a total of 172 315 individuals who were free of any cardiometabolic diseases at baseline for the analyses of caffeine, and a corresponding 188 091 individuals for the analyses of coffee and tea consumption.

The participants’ cardiometabolic diseases outcomes were identified from self-reported medical conditions, primary care data, linked inpatient hospital data and death registry records linked to the UK Biobank.

Coffee and caffeine intake at all levels were inversely associated with the risk of new-onset CM in participants without cardiometabolic diseases. Those who reported moderate coffee or caffeine intake had the lowest risk, the study found. Moderate coffee or caffeine intake was inversely associated with almost all developmental stages of CM.

“The findings highlight that promoting moderate amounts of coffee or caffeine intake as a dietary habit to healthy people might have far-reaching benefits for the prevention of CM,” Ke said.

Addressing a research gap

Numerous epidemiological studies have revealed the protective effects of coffee, tea and caffeine consumption on morbidity of single cardiometabolic diseases. However, the potential effects of these beverages on the development of CM were largely unknown.

The authors reviewed the available research on this topic and found people with single cardiometabolic disease may have a two-fold higher all-cause mortality risk than those free of any cardiometabolic diseases. By contrast, the researchers found individuals with CM may have an almost 4 to 7 times higher risk of all-cause mortality. The researchers also noted that CM may present higher risks of loss of physical function and mental stress than those with single diseases.

Source: Endocrine Society

Categories : GastrointestinalTags :

Bitter Compounds Increase Stomach Acidity – But How?

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In the stomach, so-called parietal cells are responsible for acid production. They react not only to the body’s own messenger molecules, but also to bitter-tasting food constituents such as caffeine. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers tested bitter compounds on a human gastric cell line. Their results help to clarify the molecular regulatory mechanisms by which bitter substances influence gastric acid production.

It is known that taste receptors for bitter substances are not only found on the tongue, but also on the surface of other tissues and cells. These include the parietal cells of the stomach, which secrete protons into the stomach – ie, produce gastric acid. Recent studies have already shown that the bitter taste receptors found in parietal cells are involved in the regulation of gastric acid release. However, the underlying molecular signaling pathways are not yet fully understood.

Gastric cells as a test system

To further clarify the molecular interaction between bitter substances, bitter taste receptors, and gastric acid production, a research team led by Veronika Somoza, Director of the Leibniz Institute in Freising, has carried out a study on a cellular test system. This involves human parietal HGT-1 cells, which are able to secrete protons and, like taste cells, have bitter taste receptors.

Veronika Somoza’s team initially developed a working hypothesis based on the results of previous studies and the findings on signal transduction pathways in taste cells. According to this hypothesis, bitter tasting food constituents stimulate bitter taste receptors that are embedded in the cell membrane. This releases calcium ions inside the cells, leading to ion channel opening. This, in turn, allows sodium ions to flow into the gastric cells from the outside, ultimately contributing to the release of protons.

Hypothesis confirmed

First author Phil Richter explains: “We have successfully tested this mechanism with the two bitter substances caffeine and l-arginine. As expected from previous results, both food constituents were shown to stimulate gastric cell proton secretion in our test system.” The PhD student adds: “For the first time, we were able to demonstrate that the transient receptor potential channelsM4 and M5 are involved in the signaling cascade not only in taste cells but also in gastric cells and ensure an influx of sodium ions into the cells.”

Senior Scientist Gaby Andersen says: “By using knock-out experiments, in which we specifically switched off one type of bitter taste receptor in the cells, we were also able to show for the first time that there is a link between bitter taste receptors and the activation of the ion channels.” The scientist emphasizes that the results not only contribute to a better understanding of the role of taste receptors in the stomach but would also show that HGT-1 cells could be suitable as a replacement model for taste cells.

The research team agrees that the results will provide new insights into the regulation of gastric acid production and thus lead to innovative approaches in treating gastric diseases in the long term. However, further studies are needed to deepen knowledge of the molecular regulatory mechanisms and intracellular signaling pathways.

Source: Leibniz-Institut für Lebensmittel-Systembiologie an der TU München

Categories : GastrointestinalTags :

An Elusive Relationship Between The Gastrointestinal Immune System and Caffeine

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Certain gut microorganisms are thought to contribute to the development of inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the sequence of events leading from microbes to immune cells to disease remains elusive. A new study published in Immunity explores exactly what leads to the generation of Th17 cells, an important subtype of cells in the intestine, and uncovers some of the underappreciated molecular players and events that lead to cell differentiation in the gut. One of those players is the purine metabolite xanthine – high levels of which are found in caffeinated foods such as coffee, tea and chocolate.

“One of the concepts in our field is that microbes are required for Th17 cell differentiation, but our study suggests that there may be exceptions,” said co-lead auhor Jinzhi Duan, PhD, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,. “We studied the underlying mechanisms of Th17 cell generation in the gut and found some surprising results that may help us to better understand how and why diseases like IBD may develop.”

While illuminating the steps leading to Th17 cell differentiation, the researchers unexpectedly discovered a role for xanthine in the gut.

“Sometimes in research, we make these serendipitous discoveries – it’s not necessarily something you sought out, but it’s an interesting finding that opens up further areas of inquiry,” said senior author Richard Blumberg, MD, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy in the Department of Medicine. “It’s too soon to speculate on whether the amount of xanthine in a cup of coffee leads to helpful or harmful effects in a person’s gut, but it gives us interesting leads to follow up on as we pursue ways to generate a protective response and stronger barrier in the intestine.”

Interleukin-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells are thought to play a key role in the intestine. The cells can help to build a protective barrier in the gut, and when a bacterial or fungal infection occurs, these cells may release signals that cause the body to produce more Th17 cells. But the cells have also been implicated in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and IBD.

Duan, co-lead author Juan Matute, MD, Blumberg and colleagues used several mouse models to study the molecular events that lead to the development of Th17 cells. Surprisingly, they found that Th17 cells could proliferate even in germ-free mice or mice that had been giving antibiotics wiping out bacteria. The team found that endoplasmic reticulum stress in intestinal epithelial cells drove Th17 cell differentiation through purine metabolites, such as xanthine, even in mice that did not carry microbes and with genetic signatures that suggested cells with protective properties.

The authors note that their study was limited to cells in the intestine. It’s possible that crosstalk between cells in the gut and other organs, such as the skin and lung, may have an important influence on outcomes. They also note that their study does not identify what causes Th17 cells to become pathogenic, and that further exploration is needed, including studies that focus on human-IBD Th17 cells.

“While we don’t yet know what’s causing pathogenesis, the tools we have developed here may take us a step closer to understanding what causes disease and what could help resolve or prevent it,” said Blumberg.

Source: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

Caffeine May Help with Cognitive Symptoms of ADHD

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Coffee cup and beans
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Researchers in Spain have found that caffeine may be beneficial in alleviating cognitive symptoms of ADHD, such as improving attention span and retention capacity. Their findings, published in Nutrients, may provide a less controversial addition to the therapeutic arsenal for this disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have increased exponentially over the last 20 years. It is currently estimated that this disorder affects between 2% and 5% of children in Spain, an average of one or two children per classroom, and up to 4% of the adult population.

Despite these high incidence rates, controversy surrounds the treatment of this pathology and the therapeutic approach to it. This varies widely depending on each patient, the symptoms they present and their intensity. For this reason, experts are continuing to investigate different components and substances that may be capable of providing new treatment opportunities for patients diagnosed with ADHD.

A team of experts at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has investigated caffeine to alleviate some of the symptoms of ADHD, given the controversy surrounding the use of some medicines derived from methylphenidate, among others. Their systematic review of animal studies concludes that a prescribed consumption of caffeine can increase attention and retention capacity in adolescents and adults with ADHD.

“The therapeutic arsenal for alleviating ADHD is limited, and there is a certain degree of controversy around the use of some types of medications and stimulants, especially during childhood and adolescence. That’s why it’s useful to study the efficacy of other substances, such as caffeine,” explained Javier Vázquez, one of the paper’s main authors.

This is the first systematic review with results linking caffeine consumption in different animal models of ADHD with an increased attention span, improved concentration, learning benefits, and improvements in some types of memory.

“This substance improves these types of cognitive procedures, and increases capacity and flexibility in both spatial attention and selective attention, as well as in working memory and short-term memory,” emphasised Vazquez, who added that controlled treatment with this substance “doesn’t alter blood pressure, and doesn’t lead to an increase or reduction in body weight.”

The researchers point out that while possibly effective for cognitive symptoms, the results are unclear for other characteristic symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperactivity and impulsivity. “The results are very positive, but we must be much more careful when prescribing a caffeine-based medical treatment for these symptoms. In diagnoses in which the problem is purely attentional, caffeine may be an appropriate therapy, but if there’s a symptomatological presence of hyperactivity or impulsivity, we must be more cautious,” said Vasquez.

However, the results show that caffeine has a clear benefit in ADHD’s cognitive symptoms. “Our results reinforce the hypothesis that the cognitive effects of caffeine found in animal models can be translated and applied in the treatment of ADHD in people, especially at young ages such as adolescence,” the authors concluded.

“We want to emphasise that we aren’t against medication for ADHD, but we’re open to investigating all possible alternatives for improving this type of disorder, and for being able to use caffeine from a therapeutic point of view with all the appropriate medical supervision, a prescribed treatment and follow-up,” said Vázquez.

Source: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Alcohol Triggers AF – But Not Caffeine or Other Likely Culprits

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Researchers have found that, out of possible triggers they tested, only alcohol use was consistently associated with more episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF). The study, published in JAMA Cardiology, did not find that the other triggers, caffeine, sleep deprivation and sleeping on the left side, to be associated with the common heart condition.

A surprising finding was that, although most of the things that participants thought to be related to their AF were not, those in the intervention group still had less arrhythmia than the people in a non self-monitoring control group.

“This suggests that those personalised assessments revealed actionable results,” said lead author Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, professor at University of California, San Francisco. “Although caffeine was the most commonly selected trigger for testing, we found no evidence of a near-term relationship between caffeine consumption and atrial fibrillation. In contrast, alcohol consumption most consistently exhibited heightened risks of atrial fibrillation.”

Although caffeine was the most commonly selected trigger for testing, we found no evidence of a near-term relationship between caffeine consumption and atrial fibrillation.

In a brainstorming session, patients had said researching individual triggers for AF was their top priority, giving rise to the I-STOP-AFib study, which enabled individuals to test any presumed AF trigger. About 450 people participated, 58% male and 92% white.

Participants used a mobile electrocardiogram recording device along with a phone app to log potential triggers like drinking alcohol and caffeine, sleeping on the left side or not getting enough sleep, eating a large meal, a cold drink, or sticking to a particular diet, engaging in exercise, or anything else they thought was relevant to their AF. While participants were most likely to select caffeine as a trigger, there was no association with AF. Recent research has similarly failed to show a link between caffeine and arrhythmias – on the contrary, investigators found it may have a protective effect.

The new study demonstrated that consumption of alcohol was the only trigger that consistently resulted in significantly more self-reported AF episodes.

The individualised ‘n-of-1’ testing method did not validate participant-selected triggers for AF. But trial participants did report fewer AF episodes than those in the control group, and the data suggest that behaviours like avoiding alcohol could lessen the chances of having an AF episode.
“This completely remote, siteless, mobile-app based study will hopefully pave the way for many investigators and patients to conduct similar personalised ‘n-of-1’ experiments that can provide clinically relevant information specific to the individual,” said Prof Marcus.

Source: University of California, San Francisco

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Moderate Caffeine Intake May Reduce Gestational Diabetes Risk

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Pregnant coffee lovers can breathe a sigh of relief, as consuming a low amount of caffeine during pregnancy could help to reduce gestational diabetes risk, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

“While we were not able to study the association of consumption above the recommended limit, we now know that low-to-moderate caffeine is not associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or hypertension for expecting mothers,” said the study’s lead author Stefanie Hinkle, PhD, an assistant professor of Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

The current recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is that pregnant women limit their caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg (about two cups) per day. The recommendations are based on studies that suggest potential associations with pregnancy loss and foetal growth at higher caffeine levels. However, there remains limited data on the link between caffeine and maternal health outcomes.

To better understand this association, researchers studied prospective data from 2529 pregnant participants from 2009 to 2013.

At enrollment and at each visit thereafter, women reported their weekly intake of caffeinated coffee, caffeinated tea, fizzy drinks, and energy drinks. Concentrations of caffeine were also measured in the participants’ plasma at 10 to 13 weeks into their pregnancies. The researchers then matched their caffeine consumption with primary outcomes: clinical diagnoses of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia.

The research team found that caffeine at 10 to 13 weeks gestation was not related to gestational diabetes risk. During the second trimester, drinking up to 100 mg of caffeine per day was associated with 47% less diabetes risk. No statistically significant differences in blood pressure, preeclampsia, or hypertension between those who did and did not consume caffeine during pregnancy.

The findings are in line with research that found an association between and improved energy balance and decreased fat mass, the researchers noted. However, other constituents of coffee and tea such as phytochemicals could be the cause.

The group’s previous work has however shown that caffeine consumption during pregnancy, even in amounts less than the recommended 200 mg per day, was associated with smaller neonatal anthropometric measurements, according to Prof Hinkle.

“It would not be advised for women who are non-drinkers to initiate caffeinated beverage consumption for the purpose of lowering gestational diabetes risk,” she said. One meta-analysis found that any amount of caffeine was a risk to the foetus. “But our findings may provide some reassurance to women who already are consuming low to moderate levels of caffeine that such consumption likely will not increase their maternal health risks.”

Source: Penn Medicine

Categories : General Interest Mental HealthTags :

Rough Night? Perhaps Skip the Coffee, Study Suggests

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Depending on coffee to get through the day after a night of poor sleep isn’t always the answer, suggests a new study from Michigan State University.

Researchers from MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab, led by psychology associate professor Kimberly Fenn, assessed the effectiveness of caffeine in counteracting the negative effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. It turned out that caffeine only helps up to a point.

The study assessed the impact of caffeine following a night of sleep deprivation. The study recruited over 275 participants who were asked to complete a simple attention task as well as a more challenging ‘placekeeping’ task where tasks had to be completed in a specific order without skipping or repeating steps.

Asst Prof Fenn’s study is the first to investigate the effect of caffeine on placekeeping after a period of sleep deprivation.

“We found that sleep deprivation impaired performance on both types of tasks and that having caffeine helped people successfully achieve the easier task,”  said Asst Prof Fenn. “However, it had little effect on performance on the placekeeping task for most participants.”

She added: “Caffeine may improve the ability to stay awake and attend to a task, but it doesn’t do much to prevent the sort of procedural errors that can cause things like medical mistakes and car accidents.”

The US population has a pervasive lack of sleep, a problem that has intensified during the pandemic, Asst Prof Fenn said. Having inadequated sleep impacts not only cognition and mood, but can eventually weaken immunity.

“Caffeine increases energy, reduces sleepiness and can even improve mood, but it absolutely does not replace a full night of sleep, Fenn said. “Although people may feel as if they can combat sleep deprivation with caffeine, their performance on higher-level tasks will likely still be impaired. This is one of the reasons why sleep deprivation can be so dangerous.”

Asst Prof Fenn said that the study has theoretical and practical implications.

“If we had found that caffeine significantly reduced procedural errors under conditions of sleep deprivation, this would have broad implications for individuals who must perform high stakes procedures with insufficient sleep, like surgeons, pilots and police officers,” she concluded. “Instead, our findings underscore the importance of prioritising sleep.”

The study can be found online.

Source: Michigan State University

Categories : PaediatricsTags :

Caffeine Shown to Alter Brain Pathways in Utero

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Caffeine consumption during pregnancy could change key brain pathways, resulting in children having significant behavioural problems in later life. 

“These are sort of small effects and it’s not causing horrendous psychiatric conditions, but it is causing minimal but noticeable behavioural issues that should make us consider long term effects of caffeine intake during pregnancy,” said John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. “I suppose the outcome of this study will be a recommendation that any caffeine during pregnancy is probably not such a good idea.” Foxe also pointed out that this was a retrospective study, reliant on mothers’ recall of caffeine consumption.

Studies had already linked caffeine to other outcomes, such as a meta-review which found a nearly linear link between caffeine consumption and low birth weight. It is known that foetuses do not possess the enzyme necessary to break down caffeine, which crosses the placenta into the foetal bloodstream.

Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) analysed brain scans of thousands of children. The researchers observed increased behavioural and attention problems along with hyperactivity in these children. They observed distinct changes in how the white matter tracks (which connect brain regions) were organised in children of mothers who reported caffeine consumption during pregnancy.

“What makes this unique is that we have a biological pathway that looks different when you consume caffeine through pregnancy,” said first author Zachary Christensen, an MD/PhD candidate in the Medical Science Training Program. “Previous studies have shown that children perform differently on IQ tests, or they have different psychopathology, but that could also be related to demographics, so it’s hard to parse that out until you have something like a biomarker. This gives us a place to start future research to try to learn exactly when the change is occurring in the brain.”

At this stage it is not known what the relationship between amounts of caffeine are, or what effects arise in each trimester.

“Current clinical guidelines already suggest limiting caffeine intake during pregnancy—no more than two normal cups of coffee a day,” added Christensen. “In the long term, we hope to develop better guidance for mothers, but in the meantime, they should ask their doctor as concerns arise.”

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Zachary P. Christensen et al, Caffeine exposure in utero is associated with structural brain alterations and deleterious neurocognitive outcomes in 9–10 year old children, Neuropharmacology (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108479