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Coffee consumption, iron and mortality.
What's in the Coffee?
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Luca Mascitelli, MD Comando Brigata alpina Julia, Francesca Pezzetta, Mark R Goldstein
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lumasci{at}libero.it Luca Mascitelli, et al.
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Lopez-Garcia and colleagues (1) found an inverse association between coffee and all-cause mortality independent of caffeine intake. We suggest that some of the mechanisms involved in this beneficial association might, in part, be related to inhibition of iron absorption by polyphenol compounds present in coffee. The main phenolic compound in coffee, chlorogenic acid, is a potent inhibitor of nonheme iron absorption (2). On the other hand, accumulating evidence suggests that iron plays a role in many life-threatening disorders, such as in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, liver disease (3, 4) and, generally, in disorders linked to injury induced by reactive oxygen species (5), thus suggesting that iron can be a factor in the aging process (3). Therefore, the increased intake of polyphenol compounds present in coffee may maintain a relatively lower iron status and thus reduce all-cause mortality. Luca Mascitelli, Medical Service Comando Brigata alpina “Julia”, Udine, Italy Francesca Pezzetta, Cardiology Service Ospedale di Tolmezzo, Tolmezzo, Italy Mark R. Goldstein, Fountain Medical Court Bonita Springs, FL, USA REFERENCES 1. Lopez-Garcia E, van Dam RM, Li TY, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Hu FB. The relationship of coffee consumption with mortality. Ann Intern Med 2008; 148: 904-14. 2. Fleming DJ, Jacques PF, Dallal GE, Tucker KL, Wilson PW, Wood RJ. Dietary determinants of iron stores in a free-living elderly population: The Framingham Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 67: 722-33. 3. Mascitelli L, Pezzetta F, Sullivan JL. Why women live longer than men: sex differences in longevity. Gend Med 2006; 3: 341. 4. Mascitelli L, Pezzetta F, Sullivan JL. Putative hepatoprotective effects of coffee. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2008; 27: 90-1. 5. Emerit J, Beaumont C, Trivin F. Iron metabolism, free radicals, and oxidative injury. Biomed Pharmacother 2001; 55: 333-339. Conflict of Interest:None declared |
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Todd A. Hilton
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toddh{at}genesisgt.com Todd A. Hilton
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Your study on drinking coffee/mortality leaves out one very important piece of information. The people that you studied, did you ever ask them "what" they were putting in their coffee? Everyone knows it's not necessarily whether you drink coffee or not, it's what do people put in their coffee. Obviously not everyone drinks coffee "black." Did you ever ask the respondents what they put in their coffee, i.e. sugar, cream, etc? Conflict of Interest:None declared |
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