Rodrigues Isabella M, Klein Laura C
Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Toxicol Rev. 2006;25(1):55-69. doi: 10.2165/00139709-200625010-00004.
Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychostimulant drug in the world that mostly is consumed in the form of coffee. Whether caffeine and/or coffee consumption contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the single leading cause of death in the US, is unclear.This article examines the effects of caffeine intake, both alone and via coffee consumption, on key blood markers of CVD risk: lipoproteins (cholesterol, triglycerides), fibrinogen (a biomarker of blood clotting) and C-reactive protein (CRP; a biomarker of inflammation). These blood markers and their role in the development of CVD are reviewed first. Studies examining caffeine and coffee effects on each of these blood markers are then presented. Next, biobehavioural moderators of the relationship between caffeine and/or coffee consumption and CVD are discussed, including genetics, sex and tobacco smoking. The literature indicates a strong relationship between boiled, unfiltered coffee consumption and elevated cholesterol levels; however, there is a critical gap in the literature regarding the effects of coffee or caffeine consumption on fibrinogen or CRP, which is an independent predictor of CVD risk. Available studies are limited by small samples sizes, inclusion of only men (or few women) and unrepresented age or ethnic groups. Thiere is a critical need for controlled laboratory and epidemiological studies that include fibrinogen and CRP markers of CVD risk before conclusions can be drawn regarding the health effects of caffeine and/or coffee in a normal, healthy population of men and women.
咖啡因是世界上消费最为广泛的精神刺激药物，大多以咖啡的形式被摄入。咖啡因和/或咖啡的摄入是否会导致心血管疾病（CVD）的发生尚不清楚，而心血管疾病是美国单一的首要死因。本文探讨了单独摄入咖啡因以及通过饮用咖啡摄入咖啡因对心血管疾病风险的关键血液标志物的影响：脂蛋白（胆固醇、甘油三酯）、纤维蛋白原（血液凝固的生物标志物）和C反应蛋白（CRP；炎症的生物标志物）。首先回顾了这些血液标志物及其在心血管疾病发生中的作用。接着介绍了研究咖啡因和咖啡对每种血液标志物影响的研究。然后讨论了咖啡因和/或咖啡消费与心血管疾病之间关系的生物行为调节因素，包括遗传学、性别和吸烟。文献表明，饮用煮制的、未经过滤的咖啡与胆固醇水平升高之间存在密切关系；然而，关于咖啡或咖啡因消费对纤维蛋白原或CRP的影响，文献中存在关键空白，而纤维蛋白原或CRP是心血管疾病风险的独立预测指标。现有研究存在样本量小、仅纳入男性（或少数女性）以及未涵盖不同年龄或种族群体等局限性。在能够就咖啡因和/或咖啡对正常健康男女群体的健康影响得出结论之前，迫切需要开展纳入心血管疾病风险的纤维蛋白原和CRP标志物的对照实验室研究和流行病学研究。
