The acute effect of black coffee on methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (mthfr) gene expression, blood pressure and heart rate in habitual and non-habitual coffee drinkers

Chan, Meng Hui (2024) The acute effect of black coffee on methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (mthfr) gene expression, blood pressure and heart rate in habitual and non-habitual coffee drinkers. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

In recent years, coffee has grown to be a well-liked beverage in Malaysia and has become a trend among the young adults. Studies have highlighted on the effect of coffee on genetic activity through modulation of epigenetic mechanisms, increasing the risk of individuals toward certain health conditions such as hypertension. MTHFR is a gene that has been closely studied due to its association with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, there was a lack of studies on the association of MTHFR gene expression, blood pressure and pulse rate after coffee consumption. Thus, this current study aims to determine the prevalence of habitual coffee drinkers among Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) students and evaluate the pre-post changes of MTHFR expression, blood pressure and pulse rate, shedding light on the impact of coffee towards these physiological responses. A total of 426 students were recruited for the cross-sectional study, where among them, 20 students were recruited for the coffee testing experiment. The prevalence of habitual coffee drinkers (19%) was lesser than non-habitual coffee drinkers (81%). In this study, there was significant change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure post-coffee consumption in habitual (p = 0.011, p = 0.001) and non-habitual coffee drinkers (p = 0.019, p = 0.007) but the acute effect appeared greater in habitual drinkers, while there was no significant change in pulse rate and MTHFR expression (p > 0.05) post-coffee consumption in both groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in MTHFR gene expression (p > 0.05) between habitual and non-habitual coffee drinkers. From the findings, the MTHFR expression, blood pressure and pulse rate were impacted by coffee consumption

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