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Epidemiology

Consumption of coffee, not green tea, is inversely associated with arterial stiffness in Japanese men

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 1109–1114 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Studies on the associations between coffee and green tea consumption and arterial stiffness are rare. This study evaluated the possible relationships between coffee and green tea consumption and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) values in Japanese men.

Subjects/Methods:

In total, 540 eligible men who enrolled in the baseline survey of a cohort study in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, and who underwent ba-PWV measurement were analyzed. Information about lifestyle characteristics including coffee and green tea intake were obtained from a structural self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations between coffee and green tea consumption and ba-PWV.

Results:

Subjects with greater coffee consumption were younger and showed higher proportions of current smoking and alcohol consumption. Subjects with greater green tea consumption were older and showed lower proportions of current smoking and alcohol consumption. Greater coffee consumption was significantly inversely associated with ba-PWV after the adjustment for probable covariates, including serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P for trend =0.031). After additional adjustment for serum triglycerides, this inverse association persisted, but was somewhat attenuated (P for trend =0.050). In contrast, green tea consumption was not associated with ba-PWV.

Conclusions:

Coffee consumption was inversely associated with arterial stiffness independent of known atherosclerotic risk factors, and this association was partly mediated by reduced circulating triglycerides. Further prospective or interventional studies are needed to confirm the causal association.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following researchers for providing us the useful food frequency questionnaire and a program to calculate nutrient intake; Shinkan Tokudome at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition (formerly Nagoya City University), Chiho Goto at the Nagoya Bunri University, Nahomi Imaeda at the Nagoya Women's University, Yuko Tokudome at the Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Masato Ikeda at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Shinzo Maki at Aichi Prefectural Dietetic Association. This study was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas of Cancer (No. 17015018) and on Innovative Areas (no. 221S0001) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan

    H Uemura, S Katsuura-Kamano, M Yamaguchi, M Hiyoshi & K Arisawa

  2. Department of Public Health and Applied Nutrition, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan

    M Nakamoto

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  1. H Uemura
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Correspondence to H Uemura.

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Uemura, H., Katsuura-Kamano, S., Yamaguchi, M. et al. Consumption of coffee, not green tea, is inversely associated with arterial stiffness in Japanese men. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 1109–1114 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.132

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