Study: Decaf Coffee Can Raise Cholesterol

DALLAS – If you're trying to cut back your cholesterol, you might want to cut out the decaf.

A new study that tests decaffeinated coffee like a drug shows people who drink a lot of it can end up with slightly higher levels of bad cholesterol. A scientist says three to six cups a day can raise blood fat that leads to bad cholesterol by eight to ten percent.

Doctor Robert Superko says there's no serious health threat no matter which kind of coffee you like.

But the cardiologist tells an American Heart Association conference in Dallas that heavy coffee drinkers can lower their cholesterol by about 30 percent by giving up decaf and making other lifestyle changes.

They include eating, exercising right and losing weight. Taken together, all that can give the same benefit as taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The researcher thinks the different chemical makeup of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee beans leads to the difference.