Coffee is one of the most widely drank beverages on the planet.
It includes a wide range of chemicals, including caffeine, diterpenes, and chlorogenic acid, which completely form during bean roasting and are said to provide a variety of health advantages.
Coffee drinking on a regular basis has been linked to the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease.
After adjusting for demographic, clinical, and nutritional characteristics, a recent population study found that higher self-reported daily coffee consumption was related with a decreased risk of incident chronic kidney disease.
As a result, regular coffee consumption has a high potential for lowering the risk of progressive renal disease.
“We can now add a putative reduction in acute kidney injury risk to the increasing list of health advantages for caffeine,” stated Professor Chirag Parikh of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology.
The National Kidney Foundation defines acute renal injury as “a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that occurs within a few hours or a few days.”
“This causes waste materials to accumulate in the blood, making it difficult for the kidneys to maintain the proper fluid balance in the body.”
“Depending on the cause, acute kidney damage symptoms may include: insufficient urine leaving the body; swelling in the legs and ankles and around the eyes; weariness; shortness of breath; confusion; nausea; chest discomfort; and, in extreme situations, seizures or coma.”
“The illness is most common in hospitalised individuals whose kidneys have been compromised by medical and surgical stress and consequences.”
Professor Parikh and colleagues examined data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, an ongoing investigation of cardiovascular disease in four communities in the United States.
They evaluated 14,207 adult volunteers recruited between 1987 and 1989, with a median age of 54 and the following self-reported coffee consumption habits: 27 percent never drank coffee, whereas 14 percent consumed three cups per day.
There were 1,694 cases of acute renal damage reported throughout the study period.
After controlling for demographics, socioeconomic position, lifestyle variables, and dietary factors, participants who consumed any amount of coffee had a 15% lower risk of acute renal injury than those who did not.
Even after controlling for other comorbidities such as blood pressure, BMI, diabetes status, antihypertensive medication use, and kidney function, people who drank coffee had an 11 percent lower chance of getting acute renal damage than those who did not.
“We assume that coffee’s effect on acute kidney injury risk is due to either physiologically active chemicals coupled with caffeine or caffeine itself improving perfusion and oxygen consumption within the kidneys,” Professor Parikh explained.
“A constant blood flow and oxygen supply are required for good kidney function and tolerance to acute renal injury.”
“More research is needed to characterise the potential protective mechanisms of coffee consumption for kidneys, particularly at the cellular level,” he noted.
“It has been proposed that caffeine inhibits the formation of molecules that cause chemical imbalances and the consumption of excessive oxygen in the kidneys.” Caffeine may assist the kidneys in maintaining a more steady system.”
The findings were published in Kidney International Reports.
