Coffee and tea lovers can enjoy their caffeine, as McMaster University (Canada) scientists have identified how caffeine can help fight cardiovascular disease.
Researchers say that just two to three average-sized cups of coffee per day contains enough caffeine to trigger a cascade effect, which reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad’ cholesterol. High bloodstream levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Senior author Richard Austin said that regular caffeine consumption is linked to reduced blood levels of the PCSK9 protein, which increases the liver’s ability to remove excess LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream.
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Full text of the study below:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28240-9
Dosage needed is found in Figure 7
Healthy subjects between the ages of 22 and 45 years were administered 400 mg (~ 5 mg/kg) of caffeine (CF) following a 12 h fasting period. Plasma PCSK9 levels were measured before administration, as well as 2- and 4 -h following administration (n = 12 and n = 5, respectively).
Five mg times 60 means I need to ingest 300 mg. Three twelve ounce cups (95 mg per 12 ounce cup)? I only take two half cups, currently (the small cup at Au Bon Pain, or the cups from the street vendors.).
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fig 5 shows that in mouse hepatocytes, a reduction of PCSK9 of about 60% resulted in a 25% triglyceride reduction:
for people (n=12), the reduction in PCSK9 at 2 hours was about 25%. How does this compare to human clinical inhibition of PCSK9? Would it have a significant effect on triglycerides and LDL?
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