By Wendy Haaf
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., now know why coffee drinking has been linked to a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease: the caffeine in two to three cups a day sets off a series of events that decreases harmful LDL cholesterol.
By reducing levels of a protein called PCSK9, caffeine improves the liver’s ability to remove LDL from the blood. One of the study’s co-authors is part of a research team that has developed caffeine derivatives with an even more potent effect on PCSK9, and the team hopes these will lead to new treatment options for high LDL.
Source: Nature Communications
Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash
