Coffee Consumption Decreases Risk of Kidney Injury According to New Study

Coffee is one of the most often consumed beverages worldwide. It contains a wide variety of compounds, including caffeine, diterpenes, and cholinergic acid, which fully develop after the bean roasting process. These contents are reported to have different health benefits.

The regular consumption of coffee has been associated in different studies to the prevention of chronic and degenerative conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease. 

Previous studies have shown that daily coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of chronic kidney disease.

Caffeine is a methylxanthine alkaloid and an adenosine receptor antagonist that significantly alters kidney function by modification of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, baseline renal plasma flow, hemodynamics, and natriuresis. It also inhibits sodium reabsorption in the proximal and distal tubules of the kidney. 

2 to 3 Cups a Day Linked with Lower Risk of AKI

In a recently published study, researchers investigated the effects of coffee intake on acute kidney injury (AKI) risk. The results appear in the journal Kidney International Reports. 

For the study, researchers used a cohort from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, that consisted of 14,207 adults aged 45 to 64 years. Coffee consumption was assessed using questionnaires and compared with incident acute kidney injury by hospitalization. 

There were 1,694 cases of incident AKI during 24 months of follow-up. The researchers found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of AKI when compared to those participants that did not consume coffee, even after adjusting for age, sex, race, and other factors. 

During the study, the team noted that the findings might be the result of the bioactive compounds of coffee that increase perfusion and oxygen use in the kidneys. 

They found that participants who consumed coffee had a 15% lower risk of AKI versus those who never consumed coffee. The highest benefit was observed in those participants who consumed >2-3 cups/d of coffee.

Source:

Kalie L. Tommerdahl, et al. Coffee Consumption May Mitigate the Risk for Acute Kidney Injury: Results From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. 2022. Kidney International Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2022.04.091  

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