Coffee Increases "Good" Cholesterol Levels Coffee is the second most commonly traded commodity in the world (following oil), and is widely consumed around the world as the second most popular beverage (after water). The coffee industry generates some $60 billion in revenue every year, according to estimates. In the United States, coffee drinkers consume an average of three cups of this caffeine-loaded beverage each day. Many health claims have been made for coffee, although few have withstood the scrutiny of serious research – until now. Story continues below . . . 
Previous studies have suggested that regular coffee consumption may reduce inflammation in the body, and increase HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. A newly published clinical research study, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has evaluated these claims, and the results of this study will be of considerable interest to coffee lovers everywhere. In this study, 47 volunteers who regularly consumed coffee were evaluated. During the first month, they refrained from drinking coffee. During the second month, they consumed four cups of filtered coffee per day (each cup contained 150 ml of coffee). Finally, during the third month of this study, each volunteer consumed a nerve-jangling eight cups of filtered coffee per day. Blood samples were collected throughout and were tested for total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and inflammation markers. The daily consumption of eight cups of coffee per day was found to significantly reduce the blood levels of several proteins associated with chronic inflammation (by as much as 16 percent, when compared to no coffee consumption). Moreover, HDL cholesterol levels increased by 7 percent during the final phase of this study (when compared to the "no coffee" phase). At the same time, although previous research has suggested that coffee consumption may improve glucose control in diabetics, there was no evidence of improved glucose metabolism or blood-glucose levels with increasing coffee intake in this particular study. While this intriguing study revealed an increase of good cholesterol and decrease in inflammation proteins, it cannot answer the very important question of whether these observed biochemical changes in the blood will actually translate into improved health. Nonetheless, this study's finding may indeed be good news. Longer-term prospective clinical studies will be necessary, however, to quantify the actual health benefit of regular coffee consumption. Editor's Notes: | 
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