Daily Consumption of Coffee and Eating Bread at Breakfast Time Is Associated with Lower Visceral Adipose Tissue and with Lower Prevalence of Both Visceral Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Japanese Populations: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to investigate the association between daily consumption of coffee or green tea, with and without habitual bread consumption for breakfast, and components and prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Japanese populations. METHODS: The study population consisted of 3539 participants (1239 males and 2300 females). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression analyses to evaluate the associations of daily coffee and green tea consumption with the prevalence of obesity, visceral obesity, and metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: Coffee consumption was associated with significantly lower proportions of visceral obesity (OR: 0.746, CI: 0.588-0.947) and metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.706, CI: 0.565-0.882). On the other hand, green tea was not associated with visceral obesity (OR: 1.105, CI: 0.885-1.380) or metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.980, CI: 0.796-1.206). The combination of daily drinking coffee and eating bread at breakfast time was associated with significantly lower proportions of obesity (OR: 0.613, CI: 0.500-0.751) (p = 0.911 for interaction), visceral obesity (OR: 0.549, CI: 0.425-0.710) (p = 0.991 for interaction), and metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.586, CI: 0.464-0.741) (p = 0.792 for interaction). CONCLUSION: Coffee consumption was significantly associated with lower visceral adipose tissue and lower proportions of visceral obesity, but the same was not true for green tea consumption. Furthermore, in combination with coffee consumption, the addition of eating bread at breakfast time significantly lowered proportions of visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome, although there was no interaction between coffee and bread.

A genome-wide association study in the Japanese population identifies the 12q24 locus for habitual coffee consumption: The J-MICC Study.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide, and its role in human health has received much attention. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have investigated genetic variants associated with coffee consumption in European populations, no such study has yet been conducted in an Asian population. Here, we conducted a GWAS to identify common genetic variations that affected coffee consumption in a Japanese population of 11,261 participants recruited as a part of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study. Coffee consumption was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, and converted from categories to cups/day. In the discovery stage (n = 6,312), we found 2 independent loci (12q24.12-13 and 5q33.3) that met suggestive significance (P < 1 × 10-6). In the replication stage (n = 4,949), the lead variant for the 12q24.12-13 locus (rs2074356) was significantly associated with habitual coffee consumption (P = 2.2 × 10-6), whereas the lead variant for the 5q33.3 locus (rs1957553) was not (P = 0.53). A meta-analysis of the discovery and replication populations, and the combined analysis using all subjects, revealed that rs2074356 achieved genome-wide significance (P = 2.2 × 10-16 for a meta-analysis). These findings indicate that the 12q24.12-13 locus is associated with coffee consumption among a Japanese population.

Japanese female Kendo practitioners are associated with high radial bone mineral density.

Osteopenia is a condition in which bone mineral density (BMD) is lower than normal. Exercise increases BMD in both the young and adults. This study aimed to compare the radial apparent BMD (aBMD) in Japanese females who are Kendo practitioners (KPs) and those with no regular exercise habits (no-REH). The analysis participants consisted of 45 KPs (mean age: 49.4 years old) and 110 no-REH (mean age: 48.8 years old). Radial aBMD was measured using an ultrasonic bone densitometry system. Radial aBMD in KPs was 196.1 ± 33.9 mg/cm3, and was 182.9 ± 45.3 mg/cm3 in no-REH participants. KPs had significantly higher BMD than no-REH participants. In KPs, left radial aBMD was 196.1 ± 33.9 mg/cm3, and right radial aBMD was 184.5 ± 37.7 mg/cm3. The left radius was also significantly higher than the right radius with respect to aBMD in KPs. After adjusting for age, body mass index, menstrual status, parous women and frequency of milk and dairy intake, the odds ratio (OR) of osteopenia associated with no-REH was 6.58 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.72-25.1) and the prevalence ratio (PR) of osteopenia associated with no-REH was 4.12 (95% CI: 1.23-13.7). Therefore, the Kendo practice may have a protective efficacy for osteopenia in women.