Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1985 Sep 14;291(6497):699–704. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6497.699

Coffee, tea, and plasma cholesterol: the Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic prevalence study.

J D Kark, Y Friedlander, N A Kaufmann, Y Stein
PMCID: PMC1416664  PMID: 3929904

Abstract

The association of intake of coffee and tea, assessed by 24 hour dietary recall, with plasma cholesterol and its lipoprotein fractions was studied in a sample of 1007 men and 589 women aged 35-64 resident in Jerusalem. These cross sectional data showed a significant linear association (p less than 0.001) between consumption of coffee in men and plasma cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. Men who drank five cups of coffee or more had plasma cholesterol concentrations about 0.5 mmol/l (20 mg/100 ml) higher than non-drinkers after controlling for age, ethnicity, body mass, education, season of year, smoking, tea drinking, and dietary intake of fat and carbohydrates. In women adjusted mean plasma cholesterol concentration was 0.34 mmol/l (13 mg/100 ml) higher in coffee drinkers grouped together (p less than 0.01). The test for a linear trend was not significant. The association in both sexes was largely with the low density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction. High density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were somewhat increased in women who drank coffee (p less than 0.01 for a linear trend) but not in men. Tea drinking was not associated with unadjusted plasma cholesterol concentrations in either sex. Male tea drinkers, but not female, had slightly higher adjusted plasma cholesterol concentrations than non-drinkers (0.15 mmol/l (6 mg/100 ml), p = 0.04). No dose response relation was evident. In this population, characterised by a low intake of saturated fatty acids and relatively low mean plasma cholesterol concentrations, coffee drinking may be a determinant of low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.

Full text

PDF
699

Images in this article

704p704-a
on p.704

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arnesen E., Førde O. H., Thelle D. S. Coffee and serum cholesterol. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Jun 30;288(6435):1960–1960. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6435.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bjartveit K., Foss O. P., Gjervig T. The cardiovascular disease study in Norwegian counties. Results from first screening. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1983;675:1–184. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bjelke E. Letter: Colon cancer and blood-cholesterol. Lancet. 1974 Jun 1;1(7866):1116–1117. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90601-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dawber T. R., Kannel W. B., Gordon T. Coffee and cardiovascular disease. Observations from the framingham study. N Engl J Med. 1974 Oct 24;291(17):871–874. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197410242911703. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ehnholm C., Huttunen J. K., Pietinen P., Leino U., Mutanen M., Kostiainen E., Pikkarainen J., Dougherty R., Iacono J., Puska P. Effect of diet on serum lipoproteins in a population with a high risk of coronary heart disease. N Engl J Med. 1982 Sep 30;307(14):850–855. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198209303071403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Halfon S. T., Green M. S., Heiss G. Smoking status and lipid levels in adults of different ethnic origins: the Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic Program. Int J Epidemiol. 1984 Jun;13(2):177–183. doi: 10.1093/ije/13.2.177. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Halfon S. T., Rifkind B. M., Harlap S., Kaufmann N. A., Baras M., Slater P. E., Halperin G., Eisenberg S., Davies A. M., Stein Y. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in adult Jews of different origins: the Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic prevalence study. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Nov;18(11):1113–1120. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Harlap S., Baras M., Friedlander Y., Kaufmann N. A., Eisenberg S., Davies A. M., Stein Y. Contributions of different lipoprotein fractions to variations in total cholesterol between Israeli origin groups and social classes. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Nov;18(11):1131–1136. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Harlap S., Kark J. D., Baras M., Eisenberg S., Stein Y. Seasonal changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in Jerusalem. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Nov;18(11):1158–1165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Heyden S., Heiss G., Manegold C., Tyroler H. A., Hames C. G., Bartel A. G., Cooper G. The combined effect of smoking and coffee drinking on LDL and HDL cholesterol. Circulation. 1979 Jul;60(1):22–25. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.60.1.22. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kaufmann N. A., Friedlander Y., Halfon S. T., Slater P. E., Dennis B. H., McClish D., Eisenberg S., Stein Y. Nutrient intake in Jerusalem--consumption in 17-year-olds. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Dec;18(12):1167–1182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kaufmann N. A., Friedlander Y., Halfon S. T., Slater P. E., Dennis B. H., McClish D., Eisenberg S., Stein Y. Nutrient intake in Jerusalem--consumption in adults. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Dec;18(12):1183–1197. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Klatsky A. L., Petitti D. B., Armstrong M. A., Friedman G. D. Coffee, tea and cholesterol. Am J Cardiol. 1985 Feb 15;55(5):577–578. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(85)90250-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Little J. A., Shanoff H. M., Csima A., Toronto M. A., Yano R. Coffee and serum-lipids in coronary heart-disease. Lancet. 1966 Apr 2;1(7440):732–734. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(66)90890-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Naismith D. J., Akinyanju P. A., Szanto S., Yudkin J. The effect, in volunteers, of coffee and decaffeinated coffee on blood glucose, insulin, plasma lipids and some factors involved in blood clotting. Nutr Metab. 1970;12(3):144–151. doi: 10.1159/000175287. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nichols A. B., Ravenscroft C., Lamphiear D. E., Ostrander L. D., Jr Independence of serum lipid levels and dietary habits. The Tecumseh study. JAMA. 1976 Oct 25;236(17):1948–1953. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Prineas R. J., Jacobs D. R., Jr, Crow R. S., Blackburn H. Coffee, tea and VPB. J Chronic Dis. 1980;33(2):67–72. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(80)90029-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sacks F. M., Castelli W. P., Donner A., Kass E. H. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in vegetarians and controls. N Engl J Med. 1975 May 29;292(22):1148–1151. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197505292922203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Shirlow M. J., Mathers C. D. Caffeine consumption and serum cholesterol levels. Int J Epidemiol. 1984 Dec;13(4):422–427. doi: 10.1093/ije/13.4.422. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Slater P. E., Friedlander Y., Baras M., Harlap S., Halfon S. T., Kaufmann N. A., Eisenberg S., Davies A. M., Stein Y. The Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic: sampling, response and selected methodological issues. Isr J Med Sci. 1982 Nov;18(11):1106–1112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Thelle D. S., Arnesen E., Førde O. H. The Tromsø heart study. Does coffee raise serum cholesterol? N Engl J Med. 1983 Jun 16;308(24):1454–1457. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198306163082405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Thelle D. S., Føorde O. H., Try K., Lehmann E. H. The Tromsøo heart study. Methods and main results of the cross-sectional study. Acta Med Scand. 1976;200(1-2):107–118. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES