Café e saúde humana: Um enfoque nas substâncias presentes na bebida relacionadas às doenças cardiovasculares1

Abstract

Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the Western world, including Brazil. The fact that it is one the most popular beverages and its worldwide consumption and economic importance explain the interest for studies on coffee, from its composition to its effects on human health. In addition to the nutrients, its various components include caffeine, the diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, and chlorogenic acids, with coffee being an important dietary source of these compounds. Many studies have verified the association between its constituents and health, especially caffeine and high blood pressure, cafestol and kahweol and dyslipidemias, and chlorogenic acids and cardiovascular protection from their antioxidant properties. This article aims to succinctly present the importance and composition of the drink, the physiological mechanisms involved in the increased blood pressure and serum cholesterol attributed to coffee, and selected studies that verified the association between coffee consumption and these cardiovascular diseases.