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Mortality was lower across all levels of intake, regardless of genetic influences on caffeine metabolism. Most studies have shown an inverse relation between coffee consumption and mortality (e.g., NEJM JW Gen Med Jan 15 2018 and BMJ 2017; 359:j5024). However, some variations in this relation could be related to genetic polymorphisms. In this U.K. study, researchers used a population-based set of genetic, behavioral, and clinical data in about 500,000 participants who were followed to assess coffee intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Analyses were adjusted for a wide range of clinical and demographic variables, including smoking and alcohol intake. During median follow-up of 7 years, about 14,000 people died. The relative reduction in all-cause mortality among the 78% of participants who were coffee drinkers varied from 6% to 16% for various levels of daily intake, from <1 to ≥8 cups. Similar relative reductions were found for mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cancer. There was no relationship between mortality and various combinations of polymorphisms in four genetic loci that influenced caffeine metabolism. |
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COMMENT
Clinicians can be reasonably reassuring to patients about the benefits of coffee drinking across a wide range of intake and regardless of potential genetic differences in caffeine metabolism. This study exemplifies the value of large population-based databases that integrate genetic and clinical information.