Decaffeinated Coffee May Be Harmful To Heart
Decaffeinated coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol by increasing a specific type of blood fat linked to the metabolic syndrome according a new study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.
The Coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism (CALM) study included 187 people, randomized to three groups. One group drank three to six cups of caffeinated coffee a day; another drank three to six cups of decaffeinated coffee a day; and a third, control group, drank no coffee.
After three months of the decaffeinated group experienced a rise in fatty acids, which is the fuel in the blood that can drive the production of low-density lipoprotein LDL.
ApoB went up 8 percent in the decaffeinated group but did not significantly change in the other two groups. ApoB is the only protein attached to LDL, and studies show that ApoB might be a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than one’s LDL level.
NEFA rose an average 18 percent in the decaffeinated group, while it did not change in the other two groups. “NEFA is the fuel that can drive the increase in ApoB and LDL,” Superko said.
“These results are very surprising and have never been reported before for coffee consumption. This is the first non-industry-sponsored study of its kind. Until now, researchers had not reported on a randomized prospective study looking at the mechanism of how a particular kind of coffee consumption increases ApoB and LDL-cholesterol.
“There is a real difference between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and, contrary to what people have thought for many years, I believe it’s not caffeinated but decaffeinated coffee that might promote heart disease risk factors that are associated with the metabolic syndrome, an expanding heart-health hazard in the United States.” In measuring HDL cholesterol, researchers looked specifically at HDL2, a type of HDL in which high levels are particularly associated with lower risk of heart disease. They found that HDL2 didn’t change significantly overall among the three groups in the study. But in the decaffeinated group, it changed significantly according to participants’ body fat.
For those who had body mass indexes (BMIs) of more than 25 (considered overweight), drinking decaffeinated coffee increased HDL2 by about 50 percent. But those in the decaffeinated group, who were not considered overweight according to BMI, saw their HDL2 drop by about 30 percent.
Superko said people concerned about increasing fatty acids and LDL cholesterol should think twice about drinking a lot of decaffeinated coffee. “But those who are overweight and have low levels of HDL2 but normal levels of ApoB, might consider the potential benefit of drinking decaffeinated over caffeinated coffee,” he said.
Filed under Health, Heart Disease, Obesity
November 21st, 2005 at 12:35 am
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