Too much cholesterol? This drink can raise his level even more

THE ESSENTIAL

  • In France, bad cholesterol is the cause of one in two heart attacks, according to the French Federation of Cardiology.

Dairy products, meat, and more amazing… the coffee! If you are one of the 20% of French people whose cholesterol level is too high, here’s what you should cut back on in your diet, according to researchers from the University of Tromso, in Norway.

LCholesterol is a fatty substance essential for the synthesis of many hormones, but also for the structure of the membrane that surrounds the cells. It is produced by our body at 75%, but it is also found in food, which therefore has an impact on its level.

Total cholesterol

Very recently, researchers have therefore discovered that espresso coffee increases total cholesterol levels. Total cholesterol (TC) includes the cholestérol HDL and LDL cholesterol. Its normal level is less than or equal to 2.00 g/l, with certain tolerances depending on age. While HDL is good for the arteries, LDL is dangerous for your health. In fact, high cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

3 to 5 cups of espresso per day

To establish the link between coffee consumption and total cholesterol levels, researchers followed more than 21,000 people aged 56 on average. They discovered that drinking 3 to 5 cups of espresso a day was significantly linked to an increase in total cholesterol in both men and women. Cholesterol levels also increase in coffee drinkers prepared in an Italian coffee maker or French press, but this time from 6 cups per day.

The increase in cholesterol is thought to be due to the presence in coffee of dipterenes, cafestol and kahweol, molecules which remain in coffee when it has been brewed (and drunk as an espresso) but which disappear when the coffee is filtered! Indeed, according to the new study, among filter coffee drinkersthe cholesterol level increases only in women, and not in men, also from 6 cups a day.

Leave a Replay