Association Between Instant Coffee Consumption and the Development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Results From a Community-Based Prospective Cohort

Background: A poor diet is a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The interaction between dietary factors and cigarette smoking in the development of COPD is unclear. We investigated the interactions between dietary patterns and smoking status on COPD-related outcomes.

Methods: We used data from the Anseong-Ansan cohort that has been followed for 20 years. A total of 6,221 individuals without COPD in the baseline survey were analyzed. Five dietary patterns were identified using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Associations of dietary patterns with COPD and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio in different strata of smoking status were evaluated using Cox regression and linear mixed models, respectively.

Results: The highest quartile of the "coffee" pattern (high coffee consumption) was associated with COPD (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.08) and lower FEV/FVC ratio (β = -1.2%; 95% CI, -1.9% to -0.6%) using the lowest quartile as a reference for heavy smokers, but not light or never smokers ( value for interaction = 0.035 for COPD). Regarding the associations between various consumption levels of black coffee, combined coffee, and instant coffee and COPD, an association with COPD was only observed for instant coffee in heavy smokers.

Conclusion: High instant coffee consumption is associated with COPD development in heavy smokers, but not in light or never smokers. This may be attributed to sugar and cream in instant coffee mixes.