COFFEE, DIETARY HABITS, AND SERUM CHOLESTEROL AMONG MEN AND WOMEN 3 5- 4 9 YEARS OF AGE

Coffee, dietary habits, and serum cholesterol among men and women 35-49 years of age. Am J Epidemiol 1989;129:1277-88. The relations between coffee and dietary habits and between coffee, dietary habits, and serum cholesterol were examined in 11,912 men and 12,328 women aged 35-49 years in the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Study in Oppland, southern Norway, 1976-1978. Dietary data are based on results from a self-administered questionnaire. In both sexes, the dietary pattern of persons with a high coffee consumption differed from that of persons with a low coffee con-sumption: Heavy coffee drinkers had a higher consumption of bread, potatoes, and butter or margarine per slice of bread and more frequent use of hard margarine; men had a higher consumption of eggs and a lower consumption of skim milk. These results suggest a higher total food and fat consumption and a lower ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids among heavy coffee drinkers. However, only 20 % of the variation in coffee consumption was explained by dietary and lifestyle variables. The study confirmed a positive relation betwee