COFFEE
Filed Under Coffee |
Whether you linger over designer lattes at trendy coffee bars or savor fresh, strong joe from your trusty old percolator, one thing’s for sure: When it comes to the relationship between coffee consumption and elevated blood cholesterol, there’s controversy brewing .
Some studies suggest that coffee can raise cholesterol levels; others conclude just the opposite. Most of the studies conducted in the United States have found that people who don’t drink coffee have higher rates of coronary heart disease than coffee drinkers! In fact, the prestigious Framingham Heart Study concluded that drinking up to five cups of coffee a day may actually have lowered the risk of coronary heart disease, says William P. Castelli, M.D., medical director of the Framingham Cardiovascular Institute, a wellness program at Metro West Medical Center in Framingham, Massachusetts.
The good news is, consuming moderate amounts of coffee does not appear to raise the risk of heart disease. What’s more, some experts say that a cup or two of coffee a day shouldn’t significantly affect your cholesterol level. (No large studies have been conducted on the effect of other caffeinated foods or drinks-such as chocolate or cola-on blood cholesterol levels.)
But caffeine can affect the body in other ways. Consumed in large amounts, it can sap bone strength and accelerate the heart rate. Further complicating the coffee/cholesterol issue: the role of nicotine. Some studies note that avid coffee drinkers tend to smoke more than people who drink coffee in moderate amounts, and smoking has definitely been implicated in the development of coronary heart disease.