Medical conditions associated with coffee consumption: Disease-trajectory and comorbidity network analyses of a prospective cohort study in UK Biobank

Background: Habitual coffee consumption has been associated with multiple health benefits. A comprehensive analysis of disease trajectory and comorbidity networks in relation to coffee consumption is, however, currently lacking.

Objectives: We aimed to comprehensively examine the health outcomes associated with habitual coffee consumption, through clarifying its disease trajectory and comorbidity networks.

Methods: Based on the UK Biobank cohort, we included 395,539 individuals with available information on coffee intake collected at recruitment between 2006 and 2010. These individuals were categorized as having low (<1 cup per day), moderate (1-3 cups), and high (≥4 cups) levels of coffee intake, and were followed through 2020 to ascertain 496 medical conditions. Cox regression was used to assess the associations between high-level coffee intake and the risk of medical conditions with a prevalence ≥0.5% in the study population, after adjusting for multiple confounders, using low-level coffee intake as the reference. Disease-trajectory and comorbidity network analyses were then applied to visualize the temporal and nontemporal relationships between the medical conditions that had an inverse association with high-level coffee intake.

Results: During a median follow-up of 11.8 years, 31 medical conditions were found to be associated with high-level coffee intake, among which 30 showed an inverse association (HRs ranged from 0.61 to 0.94). The inverse associations were more pronounced for women, compared with men. Disease-trajectory and comorbidity network analyses of these 30 conditions identified 4 major clusters of medical conditions, mainly in the cardiometabolic and gastrointestinal systems, among both men and women; 1 cluster of medical conditions following alcohol-related disorders, primarily among men; as well as a cluster of estrogen-related conditions among women.

Conclusions: Habitual coffee consumption was associated with lower risks of many medical conditions, especially those in the cardiometabolic and gastrointestinal systems and those related to alcohol use and estrogen regulation.