Association of coffee and tea consumption with the risk of atrial fibrillation: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank

Abstract

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has a high prevalence and a heavy healthcare burden, making prevention of AF essential. Coffee and tea are popular beverages around the world, and they may have a relationship with AF, but the results are controversial. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of coffee and tea intake with the risk of AF.

Methods: This study included 495,269 participants without AF at baseline from the UK Biobank. Coffee and tea intake was self-reported (0, 0.5–1, 2–3, ≥ 4 cups/day). Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: During a median follow-up of 13.04 ± 2.26 years, 37,261 participants developed AF. The associations of coffee and tea with AF were non-linear (P for non-linear < 0.001). Compared with non-drinkers, drinking 0.5–1, 2–3, and ≥ 4 cups of coffee per day was associated with a protective effect against AF, corresponding to a 7, 11, and 9% lower risk, respectively. For tea, only consumption of 2–3 cups per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of AF, whereas no significant associations were observed for other intake categories.

Conclusions: We found that coffee intake was inversely associated with incident AF across multiple intake categories, whereas for tea, a modest inverse association was observed only at 2–3 cups per day, with no statistically significant associations for other intake categories. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings and clarify the potential mechanism