I'll echo the comment on getting your cholesterol levels checked a few more times; I do check mine - and have noticed sizable fluctuations.

Howard

Adrian, what were your values for LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, from the previous reading and the current one?

I'm wondering if you add sugar to your cappuccino? I believe that sugar added to fat raises LDL and triglycerides and lowers HDL levels....but I am not certain of this.

sweaner wrote:Adrian, what were your values for LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, from the previous reading and the current one?

I don't recall the old values exactly, but they have always been very regular from year to year, roughly:
total: 180, LDL: 100, HDL: 60, trig: 120 and now this has changed to:
total: 238, LDL: 168, HDL: 54, trig: 130
So basically a large jump in LDL after increasing my consumption of espresso.

I would suggest rechecking on or after a week when you've behaved really well food-wise just for the sake of comparison.

Were you fasting when it tested high? Sometimes they only ask you to fast for glucose testing, but that would make a big difference too...

RapidCoffee wrote:Nutritionist or not, this comment misses the point. There is no cholesterol in coffee per se, but there are diterpenes (such as cafestrol) which may elevate cholesterol levels, presumably by increasing the amount of cholesterol produced by the body.

How does it miss the point? I suppose it should have just read there is no animal/man made based saturated fats, which have the most dramatic affect on cholesterol levels in diets. I love studies. Someone gets a one time grant, posts it and all of a sudden it's fact? I base my facts on time proven scientific information through the ADA. One of the barriers to proper patient education is with access to the internet, everyone is a doctor. It's probably not as complicated as we make it, and if it were, a specialist would have to diagnosis the true root cause. General recommendations in the nutrition community for food/drink intake is based on moderation; this is not the forum for that though

Sorry I missed your diet/exercise comment. With your LDL levels, most docs I work with would not recommend statins or any medication yet, but that depends on how many risk factors you have. Your HDL level is high/good, which is reflective of your general healthy lifestyle. Do you use tobacco products? In the end, I am just some random guy on the internet and am in no way primarily responsible for your care. Thats what docs are for. We can talk about causes and treatments all day, but it doesn't replace your medical history and assessment of your recent lifestyle. Definitely recommend three month follow-up labs.

jherm77 wrote:How does it miss the point? I suppose it should have just read there is no animal/man made based saturated fats, which have the most dramatic affect on cholesterol levels in diets.

Let me try again:
Nobody is claiming that coffee contains harmful saturated fats, triglycerides, long chain fatty acids, and/or cholesterol. Nobody is claiming that drinking coffee is like eating fatty cuts of red meat or drinking large quantities of heavy cream. Instead, these studies indicate that coffee contains certain compounds called diterpenes that cause the body to manufacture more cholesterol. These diterpenes are apparently removed from drip coffee by the use of paper filters, but are present in French press coffee and espresso.

As a cholesterol specialist, you are undoubtedly aware that we synthesize the majority of cholesterol in our bodies. Anything that elevates cholesterol synthesis in the body is of great significance, even more so than dietary sources of cholesterol.

So yes, suggesting a switch to lower fat milk completely misses the point of this study. Apologies for my bluntness.

Adrian

Get your cholesterol levels checked again but as you probably realize you might have a genetic predisposition towards higher levels or a hypersensitivity to the cafestol found in espresso. If that really is the case then you really can only go so far with the exercise and diet. Brown and Goldstein won a well deserved Nobel Prize for their work uncovering the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway and the enzymology that led to the discovery of effective drugs (statins) that act to inhibit LDL synthesis. The drugs work and have very limited side effects for most people.

I had to start drugs for hypertension at a time when I had run a marathon. Take care of the symptoms. Better without drugs as you are trying but if that does not work do what you need to do.

ask your doctor and do what he/she says. If you don't trust him/her enough, find another doctor and repeat those tests. There's no kind way of saying this so if I sound rude please don't take offence. "we are not doctors, we are coffee enthusiasts. and that's not enough to make us eligible for giving advice about your health. even if we were doctors, none of us saw you in person or saw your complete test results and we don't have any detailed info about your health background. I understand your need for suggestions and/or your curiosity about the matter but believe me that's a dangerous path to take. in addition; if someone claim he/she is a doctor and can diagnose without seeing you in person, simply don't listen.."

if you still ask for an opinion after reading this, I would cut the milk and see what happens. since you're living a vegan life, milk may affect you more compared to someone who regularly consume animal and dairy products. it's no secret that all those fat coming from dairy products are killer for your cholesterol levels (1 cup whole cow milk contains 33mg and 1 cup skim cow milk contains only 4mg, huge difference), and that's why doctors -almost- scream to people to give up their frappuccinos & milk based cold/hot drinks. there's a reason why italians drink cappa in the morning alone.

hope everything turns out well for you

kahvedelisi wrote:There's no kind way of saying this so if I sound rude please don't take offence. "we are not doctors, we are coffee enthusiasts. and that's not enough to make us eligible for giving advice about your health. even if we were doctors...<snip> <snip> <snip>

Er, I believe that we're responsible, thinking adults, but thanks for the reminder.