Although it is an indispensable beverage for many of us, coffee is also known to increase cholesterol levels. The details of coffee’s relationship with high cholesterol, one of the known risk factors for heart health, were revealed by scientists the other day.
The study, published in the journal Open Heart and conducted with data from a total of 21,083 participants, showed that the association of coffee with high cholesterol was dependent on the method of brewing the coffee and, relatively, the gender of the person. 11,074 of the study participants were female and 10,099 were male.
The difference in cholesterol between coffee drinkers and non-drinkers was shown:
In the survey given to the participants in the study, how many cups of coffee they drink per day and which brewing method they prefer were asked. Blood samples were taken from the participants, and their height and weight were measured. The results indicated that women drank an average of 4 cups of coffee a day, while men drank 5 cups of coffee.
The results showed that those who drank 3-5 cups of espresso a day were associated with high cholesterol. This rate was especially higher in men. The cholesterol difference between those who never drink coffee and those who drink espresso was as high as 1.3 mg/dL. While this value was 1.6 for non-drinkers, it was 2.9 for those who consumed 3-5 cups of espresso every day.
However, high cholesterol was also seen in those who consumed coffee prepared with 6 or more plungers a day. The cholesterol difference between those in this group and those who did not consume coffee was 5.4 mg/dL in women and 4.1 mg/dL in men. When such coffee consumption exceeded 6 cups, the difference increased by another 2.0 mg/dL.
The research showed that the difference in cholesterol between men and women was the least in espresso, and the most in plunger.
On the other hand, scientists made an important note about their research. He stated that a standard glass size was not used in the research, for example Norwegians generally use larger glasses than Italians. The explanation that would cause the cholesterol to increase at different rates according to the genders was not shared.
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