Inverse association between caffeine intake and albuminuria in US adults: an analysis of NHANES 2005-2016.

Objectives: Albuminuria is a significant biomarker of various kidney diseases and is associated with renal outcome. Recently, caffeine intake has shown potential renoprotective effects. However, the relationship between caffeine intake and albuminuria remains profoundly elusive.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between caffeine intake and albuminuria in the American adult population using the data acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2016. Caffeine intake was assessed by 24-h dietary recalls, and albuminuria was assessed by albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the independent association between caffeine intake and albuminuria. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were also conducted.

Results: Among 23,060 participants, 11.8% of the individuals exhibited albuminuria, and the prevalence of albuminuria decreased with higher caffeine intake tertiles (Tertile 1: 13%; Tertile 2: 11.9%; Tertile 3: 10.5%; P < 0.001). After adjusted potential confounders, the results of logistic regression indicated that a higher caffeine intake was associated with a decreased risk of albuminuria (OR = 0.903; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.97; P = 0.007), especially in females and the participants aged <60 years and chronic kidney disease stage II.

Conclusion: The present study first indicated an inverse correlation between caffeine intake and albuminuria, which further confirmed the potentially protective effects of caffeine on the kidney.