The US National Institutes of Health has found that drinking decaffeinated coffee could increase the risk of heart disease.
Yep – increase, not decrease.
Those in the survey who drank decaffeinated coffee experienced an 18% rise in the fatty acids, which encourages the production of bad ‘LDL’ cholesterol. They also discovered that their levels of apolipoprotein B (a bad cholesterol) shot up by 8%.
The group drinking regular coffee was not affected.
The survey was led by Dr Robert Superko of the ‘Fuqua Heart Centre’ in Georgia. He said: “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.”
So there you go… another ‘healthy’ alternative, like margarine and artificial sweeteners, has turned out to be the devil in disguise.
Haven’t we learned any lessons, yet? When will scientists realise that making chemically altered versions of perfectly decent foodstuffs only INCREASES the risk of a health disaster?
Why decaf is unhealthier
One reason for the results of the survey on coffee appears to be that caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees are made from different species of beans. Most caffeinated coffee comes from a bean species called ‘Arabica’… while many decaffeinated coffees are made from ‘Robusta’, which is much, much stronger. This is because decaffeination takes out those flavanoids that give coffee its flavour.
The problem with that is these flavanoids act like powerful anti-oxidants, which can help protect the heart and fight cancer.
So decaffeinated brands are not only lower in flavanoids, but use a much stronger bean to match the flavour of the regular stuff. The result is that decaf gives your bad cholesterol a most unwelcome boost.
Most experts believe that you shouldn’t worry if you’re one of those who enjoy only one or two cups of coffee a day… but I think you should be aware of this study.
So that’s decaf
