If you adhere to a heart-healthy diet, you’ve probably already given up bacon, eggs, buttered toast and pancake syrup for breakfast. Some evidence suggests that drinking coffee could boost your low-density lipoprotein – LDL or “bad” cholesterol – and triglycerides, a type of fat that tends to clog your arteries. But research remains less than compelling, so no strong reason exists to give up your morning cup of coffee to control triglycerides.
American Heart Association Guidelines
Your diet, your weight and your level of activity play significant roles in your triglyceride levels. The American Heart Association issued a scientific statement in April 2011 that says you can reduce your triglycerides by 20 percent if you follow a low-fat, low-sugar diet, and another 20 to 30 percent if you exercise regularly. The AHA diet restricts saturated fat, trans fat and added sugars, such as those in regular soda, but imposes no restrictions on coffee consumption.
Unfiltered Coffee
A study published in May 2011 did find a connection between a substance in coffee – diterpenes – and high triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. The likelihood of coffee elevating your triglycerides depends on the type of brewing method and the amount of coffee you drink, according to N. Naidoo, lead author of the research published in “Nutrition Journal.” Naidoo and colleagues from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore found that coffee dripped through paper or mesh filters produced negligible effects on triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. But people who drank 5 cups of more of unfiltered coffee or coffee prepared by a Turkish or French press did test higher for both types of lipids.
Causal Link Not Established
Another study found a connection between drinking boiled, unfiltered coffee and elevated triglyceride and LDL levels. But authors I.M. Rodriques and K.D. Klein point out that research does not yet prove that drinking unfiltered coffee causes elevated triglyceride levels, only that a link exists between the two, according to the report published in the 2006 edition of "Toxicological Reviews. Available research suggests using some caution in drinking large quantities of unfiltered coffee, but does not suggest you give up the beverage. Strong evidence suggests, however, that you limit the amount of sugar, cream or coffee creamers you add to coffee.
Cream and Sugar
The AHA scientific statement, based on a review of 500 international studies, recommends limiting the amount of added sugar in your diet to about 100 to 200 calories a day, limiting saturated fat to 16 g a day and trans fat to no more than 2 g a day. A teaspoon of sugar contains about 16 calories. Dairy coffee cream contains 3.6 g of saturated fat per 1 oz. Regular coffee creamer includes 3.6 g of saturated fat in 1 oz. Some types of non-dairy liquid coffee contain 2 g of trans fat – a day’s supply -- in 1 oz.
References
- "Nutrition Journal"; Cholesterol-Raising Diterpenes in Types of Coffee Commonly Consumed in Singapore, Indonesia and India and Associations with Blood Lipids: A Survey and Cross Sectional Study; N. Naidoo, et al.; May 2011
- "Circulation"; Triglycerides and Cardiovascular Disease A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association; Michael Miller, et al.; April 18, 2011
- "Toxicological Reviews"; Boiled or Filtered Coffee? Effects of Coffee and Caffeine on Cholesterol, Fibrinogen and C-Reactive Protein; I.M. Rodrigues andL.C. Klein; 2006
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database
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