Consumption of Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine at Midlife, and the Risk of Physical Frailty in Late Life

Abstract

ObjectivesOur study evaluated the prospective association between the consumption of caffeine-containing beverages at midlife and the risk of physical frailty at late life within a population-based cohort of Chinese adults living in Singapore over a follow-up period of 20 years. DesignProspective cohort study. Setting and ParticipantsWe used data from 12,583 participants from the baseline and third follow-up interviews of the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS). Participants had a mean age of 53 years at baseline (1993–1998), and a mean age of 73 years during the third follow-up (2014–2017). MethodsAt baseline, habitual consumption of caffeine-containing beverages was evaluated using a validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. During the third follow-up, physical frailty was assessed using the modified Cardiovascular Health Study phenotype. ResultsCompared with non-daily drinkers, those who drank 4 or more cups of coffee daily had reduced odds of physical frailty [odds ratio (OR), 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38–0.76]. Similarly, compared with those who hardly drank tea, participants who drank tea everyday also had reduced odds (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71–0.95). Total daily caffeine intake at midlife was associated with reduced likelihood of frailty at late life in a dose-response relationship (Ptrend < .001). Relative to their counterparts in the lowest quartile of daily caffeine intake (0–67.6 mg/d), participants in the highest quartile (223.0–910.4 mg/d) had an OR of 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66–0.91). Higher caffeine consumption was associated with lower likelihood of being in the slowest quintile for timed up-and-go (TUG) and weakest quintile for handgrip strength. Conclusions and ImplicationsIn this cohort of Chinese adults, higher consumption of caffeine at midlife, via coffee and tea, was associated with a reduced likelihood of physical frailty in late life.