Coffee May Enhance Cognition and Reduce Inflammation in Atrial Fibrillation
Researchers found that repeated consumption of coffee can be associated with enhanced cognitive performance and reduced inflammatory levels in older patients presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF). AF by itself is a known independent predictor of cognitive impairment, though coffee has been reported to have cognitive-enhancing benefits in healthy populations, and no data are available about its effect on vulnerable ones such as AF. Thus, a recent study was published aiming at this in the Journal of the American Heart Association conducted by Massimo B. and colleagues.
Daily coffee consumption was assessed by a structured nutrition questionnaire. Cognitive performance was measured using a comprehensive neurocognitive test battery that included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Trail-Making Test, semantic fluency, and the Digit-Symbol Substitution Test.
Composite cognitive construct scores were obtained from these tests, thereby giving an overall measure of cognitive performance. The relationship of inflammatory markers, that is, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), with consumption of coffee was measured in this study. Linear mixed-effects models, adjusted to confounders, were adapted to analyze the data.
Key Findings
Cognitive Performance:
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Results indicated that patients who consumed lesser than one cup of coffee were associated with a cognitive construct score of −0.24 (95% CI, −0.27 to −0.16).
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Those who consumed more than five cups per day scored −0.10 (95% CI, −0.10 to 0.04; p=0.048).
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MoCA score was 24.58 (95% CI, 24.58–25.32) for the reference group (<1 cup/day) and 25.25 (95% CI, 24.98–26.85; p=0.163) for the highest consumption group.
Inflammatory Markers:
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Hs-CRP levels were lower with increased coffee consumption, with a factor of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.54–1.13; p=0.188) for the group consuming five or more cups compared to the reference group.
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IL-6 levels were significantly lower by a factor of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.57–0.95; p=0.017) in the highest coffee consumption group.
This study may suggest an association between habitual coffee consumption, improvement in cognitive performance, and reduction in inflammation among older patients with atrial fibrillation. Further studies are essential to confirm the above conclusions and provide recommendations on incorporating coffee into the counseling approach for dietary management of AF.
Reference:
Barbagallo, M., Springer, A., Vanetta, C., Allemann, M., Lee, P., Saeedi, S., Aeschbacher, S., Luciani, M., Bonati, L. H., Moschovitis, G., Scheu, V., Rutishauser, J., Kobza, R., Di Valentino, M., Meyre, P. B., Rodondi, N., Conen, D., Kühne, M., Osswald, S., … the Swiss-AF investigators. (2024). Coffee consumption correlates with better cognitive performance in patients with a high incidence for stroke. Journal of the American Heart Association. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.124.034365
