ABSTRACT
Background: Habitual coffee consumption has been associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and sarcopenia, which are strong risk factors of falls. In addition, caffeine intake stimulates attention and vigilance, and reduces reaction time. Therefore, a protective effect of coffee on the risk of falling can be hypothesized. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the association between habitual coffee consumption and the risk of ≥1 falls, injurious falls, and falls with fracture in older people. Methods: Data were taken from 2964 participants aged ≥60 y from the Seniors-ENRICA (Study on Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk in Spain) cohort and 8999 participants aged ≥60 y from the UK Biobank cohort. In the Seniors-ENRICA study, habitual coffee consumption was assessed with a validated diet history in 2008– 2010, and falls were ascertained up to 2015. In the UK Biobank study, coffee was measured with 3–5 multiple-pass 24-h food records starting in 2006, and falls were assessed up to 2016. Results: A total of 793 individuals in Seniors-ENRICA and 199 in UK Biobank experienced ≥1 fall during follow-up. After multivariable adjustment for major lifestyle and dietary risk factors and compared with daily consumption of < 0.001). Decaffeinated coffee was not associated with risk of falling in the analyzed cohorts. In Seniors ENRICA, there was a tendency to lower risk of injurious falls among those consuming caffeinated coffee (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.00 for 1 cup/d; HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.64, 1.09 for ≥2 cups/d; P-trend = 0.09). No association was observed between caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee consumption and risk of falls with fracture. Conclusions: Habitual coffee consumption was associated with lower risk of falling in older adults in Spain and the United Kingdom.