Abstract
Aims: In experimental animals we investigated the relationship of coffee consumption with risk factors of atherosclerosis such as cholesterol, homocysteine, oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were assigned to 3 treatment groups (a control diet group, 0.62% coffee diet group, and 1.36% coffee diet group), and animals were maintained on the experimental diets for 140 days. Results: Coffee diets led to an increase in the caffeine concentration to 0.53 ± 0.11 and 1.77 ± 0.22 µg/ml, respectively, although caffeine in serum was not detected in rats fed the control diet. It also led to slightly increased total serum levels of homocysteine and cholesterol, but no significant differences were found between the control and coffee diet groups. Coffee intake did not affect the production of IL-6 and TNF-α induced by LPS, which contributes to the atheroma-promoting effect of recurrent bacterial infection. Regarding the biomarkers of oxidative stress, the serum level of 15-isoprostane F<sub>2t</sub>, which was significantly increased by LPS injection, was not altered by coffee intake. In contrast, urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine was significantly increased in the coffee diet groups (p < 0.05). On the other hand, serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity tended to decrease in the coffee groups compared with the control group, but no significant difference was found between the control and coffee diet groups. Interestingly, a significant negative correlation was observed between GPx activity and homocysteine levels in the sera from control and coffee diet groups (r = –0.403, p < 0.05). Conclusions: This report is the first animal study on the relationship of coffee consumption with risk factors for atherosclerosis. From these results, we conclude that moderate coffee intake is not a risk factor for atherogenesis.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.