MILAN – Coffee consumption correlates with better cognitive performance in patients with a high incidence for stroke, according to a study published online Dec. 14 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Atrial fibrillation is an independent risk factor for the development of cognitive impairments. Regular coffee consumption has shown cognitive benefits in healthy individuals. Whether regular consumption reduces cognitive decline in vulnerable patients is controversial.
Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to consider implementation in dietary counseling for atrial fibrillation management.
Massimo Barbagallo, MD, from the University Hospital Zurich, and colleagues examined whether regular coffee consumption reduces cognitive decline in elderly adults with atrial fibrillation.
Daily coffee consumption was assessed using a structured nutrition questionnaire, and cognitive function was evaluated by a detailed neurocognitive‐test‐battery, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Trail‐Making Test, semantic fluency, and Digit‐Symbol‐Substitution Test.
The cognitive construct score combines all neurocognitive tests mentioned and provides an overall cognitive performance indicator. Hs‐CRP (high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein) and IL‐6 (interleukin‐6) were measured to explore an association with inflammation.
Results were estimated using linear mixed‐effects‐models with detailed adjustments for confounders. The <1 cup/day consumers (reference group) reached a cognitive construct score of −0.24 (95% CI, –0.27 to –0.16), and the group with the highest consumption (>5 cups/day) was at −0.10 (95% CI, –0.10 to 0.04; p=0.048).
Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in the reference group was 24.58 (95% CI, 24.58–25.32); the group with the highest intake achieved 25.25 (95% CI, 24.98–26.85; p=0.163). Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption (hs‐CRP with 5 compared with <1 cup/day by factor 0.78 [95% CI, 0.54–1.13], p= 0.188, IL‐6 significantly by factor 0.73 [95% CI, 0.57–0.95], p=0.017).
“It is known that regular coffee consumption benefits cognitive performance among healthy people,” said Dr. Barbagallo.
“The most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is known to independently increase the risk of dementia.”
“Thus, the question is whether coffee might offset the increased risk of cognitive impairment in people with AF.”
“There was a very clear and consistent ‘dose-response’ association between drinking more coffee and doing better on several different sophisticated cognitive tests,” said University of Zürich’s Professor Jürg Beer.
“Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption, an association that remained after considering variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity and a history of stroke.”
“Previous studies suggest that the protective effects of regular coffee consumption against cognitive decline in the elderly may be attributed to caffeine and other active ingredients including magnesium and vitamin B3 (Niacin); or, that it may be due to coffee’s role in reducing chemicals that cause inflammation.”
