If you are one of those who cannot get through the day without the occasional cup of coffee, you could unknowingly be favoring the health of your heart, because you could be helping to prevent heart problems, or at least that is what a study conducted by members of the McMaster University (Canada). At work, it is indicated that taking the caffeine found in two or three cups of coffee a day – or its equivalent in tea – could prevent cardiovascular disease.
Specifically, the research, published in Nature Communications, indicates that these amounts of caffeine are sufficient to cause a reaction in the body that reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly called bad cholesterol, which prevents development of cardiovascular diseases that compromise health.
This occurs because caffeine has the ability to reduce levels of the protein PCSK9 in the bloodstream, causing the liver to remove more of the excess LDL cholesterol from the blood. In addition, they explain, caffeine and its derivatives can also block the activation of SREBP2, another protein that in turn reduces PCSK9 levels.
Coffee yes, but no whipped cream or pastries
“Since SREBP2 is implicated in a number of cardiometabolic diseases, including diabetes and fatty liver disease, mitigating its function has far-reaching implications. We are excited to pursue this new class of drugs, or nutraceuticals, for the potential treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease,” explains Richard Austin, lead author of the study.
Caffeine lowers levels of the protein PCSK9 in the blood, which increases the activity of the liver by removing LDL cholesterol
Austin and co-author Paul Lebeau had already described another molecular phenomenon similar to this in 2020. In that year, they discovered how a rare genetic variant in the PCSK9 gene that reduces its release from the liver led to lower cholesterol levels and a longer life for those who wear it.
“These findings have far-reaching implications, since they connect this biologically active and widely consumed compound with cholesterol metabolism at the molecular level,” explained Guillaume Paré, another of the research authors. However, do not forget that we are talking about tea or coffee as such, not caffeinated energy drinks. In addition, these benefits cannot be obtained if large amounts of whipped cream or sugar are added, or accompanied with cakes or pastries.
The authors now want to focus on exploring and developing what they call caffeine derivatives, which they say can be more potent than caffeinated coffee and could eventually be taken medicinally and without the stimulant side effects of this brown beverage. .
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