Regular coffee drinking and cardiovascular risk: A critical review of the literature

Objective: To analyse and summarise the evidence on the effect of regular coffee drinking on the appearance of cardiovascular disease. Methods: A critical review of the literature was carried out based on a meta-analysis and systematic reviews published in MedLine, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and LILACS (January 1966 to June 2018). The search, selection, and extraction of the information were performed by two investigators. The quality of the manuscripts was evaluated using AMSTAR. Results: An analysis was made of 4 systematic reviews that considered coronary disease, cardiovascular risk, and myocardial infarction as outcomes. For the first and second outcomes, a reduction in risk was found with consuming 3-4 cups/day (RR = 0.90; 95%CI; 0.84-0.9; P =.02, and RR = 0.85; IC95% CI; 0.80-0.90; P =.09); for 1-2 cups/day (RR = 0.89; 95%CI; 0.85-0.94; P =.83, and RR = 0.89; 95%CI; 0.84-0.94; P =.09), respectively. As regards myocardial infarction, an increase in risk was reported with consuming 3-4 cups/day (OR = 1.75; 95%CI; 1.44-2.14; P =.005) and ≥ 4 cups/day (OR = 2.01; IC95%CI; 1.7-2.36; P <.001). Conclusion: Mild and moderate consumption of coffee has a neutral effect or a reduction in cardiovascular risk and coronary disease. On the other hand, the risk of myocardial is increased with drinking more or equal to 3 cups/day in men. The drinking of up to 3 cups of coffee/day is recommended, and it is not advised to drink more, especially in men.