You consume cholesterol when you eat animal products, such as meat and dairy products, and caffeine when you drink soft drinks, chocolate or coffee. Both cholesterol and caffeine can cause physical problems, but there is no direct link between the two substances. While high cholesterol is clearly linked to an increased risk for heart disease, caffeine's relationship to heart disease is inconclusive. And while caffeine can cause jittery, wakeful body symptoms, high cholesterol is often symptomless.
About Cholesterol and Caffeine
Cholesterol is naturally found in all animal body cells, so you increase your cholesterol levels when you consume animal products, such as a beef, poultry or dairy. While you require cholesterol for normal function, eating too much can cause plaque buildup along the lining of blood vessel walls. Over time, this buildup can interrupt optimal blood flow to important areas of your body, such as the heart and brain. Caffeine is a natural substance found in more than 60 plants. Found in food products such as coffee and tea, it's also added to products such as soft drinks and medications. When consumed, caffeine acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system.
Physical Symptoms
Caffeine helps keep you more alert, which is considered a benefit to people who want to increase their wakefulness. However, physical symptoms such as rapid heart beat, anxiety, uneven heart beat and shakiness can accompany excess caffeine consumption. Moderate amounts of caffeine are considered safe -- about 1 to 2 cups of 5 oz. coffee per day, or 100 to 200 mg of caffeine per day. In comparison, high cholesterol is often symptomless, which is why routine blood testing is so important. The National Institutes of Health recommends blood testing every five years for adults 20 years and older. High cholesterol's cumulative effects are usually silent until heart health is becomes compromised.
Cholesterol, Caffeine and Heart Health
The link between high cholesterol and heart disease -- the No. 1 killer of male and female Americans, according to the American Heart Association -- is clear. High blood cholesterol is a definitive risk factor for heart disease. It's also a controllable factor, so diet and exercise are key. Alternatively, although caffeine can cause palpable heart symptoms, such as rapid and uneven heart rhythm, research about its effect on heart health is conflicting, according to the American Heart Association.
Research
While caffeine's link to heart disease is unclear, some studies about one particular caffeine product -- coffee -- seem to suggest a link. A 2007 study review in the journal "Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care" found that both caffeine and substances called diterpenes in unfiltered coffee may increase heart disease risk. However, offsetting this finding, moderate coffee drinkers were found to have a lower risk for heart disease possibly due to antioxidants found in coffee. Another 2009 report from the American Heart Association also found that non-smoking, healthy women who drank two cups of coffee per day had a lower risk for stroke. Whether caffeine or another substance in coffee is responsible for heart effects is not clear.
References
- American Heart Association; Statistical Fact Sheets; 2011
- National Institutes of Health: Lowering Cholesterol with TLC
- Food and Drug Administration; Caffeine and Your Body; 2007
- "Current Opininion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care"; Coffee, Caffeine, and Coronary Heart Disease; M.C. Cornelis et al.; November 2007
- American Heart Association; Frequent Coffee Drinking Associated with Lower Stroke Risk in Nonsmoking Women; February 2009
- American Heart Association: Caffeine and Cardiovascular Disease
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