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Folic acid supplement decreases the homocysteine increasing effect of filtered coffee. A randomised placebo-controlled study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 57, pages 1411–1417 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: Elevated levels of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) are identified as independent risk factors for coronary heart disease and for fetal neural tube defects. tHcy levels are negatively associated with folic acid, pyridoxine and cobalamine, and positively associated with coffee consumption and smoking. A total of 600 ml of filtered coffee results in a tHcy increase that 200 μg of folic acid or 40 mg of pyridoxine supplementation might eliminate.

Design: Randomised, blinded study with two consecutive trial periods.

Setting: Free living population. Volunteers.

Subjects: A total of 121 healthy, nonsmoking men and women (78%) aged 29–65 y.

Interventions: (1) A coffee-free period of 3 weeks, (2) 600 ml coffee/day and a supplement of 200 μg folic acid/day or placebo for 4 weeks, (3) 3-week coffee-free period, (4) 600 ml coffee/day and 40 mg pyridoxine/day or placebo for 4 weeks.

Main outcome measures: The difference between the change in tHcy in the supplement group and the change in tHcy in the placebo group during the 4-week trial period.

Results: Coffee abstention resulted in a tHcy decrease of 1.04 μmol/l for the whole group. In the subsequent coffee period, a further decrease of 0.17 μmol/l was observed in the folic acid group whereas an increase of 1.26 μmol/l was observed in the placebo group, the difference was 1.43 μmol/l (95% CI: 0.80, 2.07). Pyridoxine supplement had no impact on tHcy levels.

Conclusions: Supplementation of 200 μg folic acid/day eliminates the tHcy increasing effect of 600 ml filtered coffee in subjects not already on folic acid supplements. A supplement of 40 mg pyridoxine/day does not have the same effect.

Sponsorship: None.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the volunteers for their participation, Lisbeth Jakobsson and Monica Eriksson for research assistance and Georg Lappas for help with statistical calculations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, Göteborg, Sweden

    E Strandhagen & D S Thelle

  2. Department of Clinical Chemistry, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    S Landaas

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  1. E Strandhagen
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  2. S Landaas
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  3. D S Thelle
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Correspondence to E Strandhagen.

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Strandhagen, E., Landaas, S. & Thelle, D. Folic acid supplement decreases the homocysteine increasing effect of filtered coffee. A randomised placebo-controlled study. Eur J Clin Nutr 57, 1411–1417 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601703

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