The drink lowers the amount of PCSK9 protein in the body.

Caffeine affects proteins that help the liver eliminate harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream, according to researchers at McMaster University in Canada. As a result, the process guards against cardiovascular disease.

Coffee is excellent for you in a variety of ways, according to several large-scale, long-term studies. One study followed the coffee habits of over 500,000 people in Europe for 16 years and discovered that those who consumed the most had much lower mortality rates than those who abstained. Other studies have connected coffee to lower rates of prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease.

It’s one thing to make observations, but scientists haven’t yet figured out how the molecules in coffee, particularly caffeine, confer these benefits. So, for the latest study, McMaster University researchers looked into what could be behind caffeine’s apparent ability to prevent cardiovascular disease.

The researchers discovered that regular caffeine consumption was associated with reduced levels of a protein called PCSK9 in circulation. This protein increases the liver’s ability to break down LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind that can clog arteries and cause heart disease. Caffeine and its derivatives not only worked directly on PCSK9, but also inhibited the activation of another protein called SREBP2, according to the researchers. This, in turn, lowers PCSK9 levels in the blood.

“These findings now provide the underlying mechanism by which caffeine and its derivatives can mitigate the levels of blood PCSK9 and thereby reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Richard Austin, senior author of the study. “Given that SREBP2 is implicated in a host of cardiometabolic diseases, such as diabetes and fatty liver disease, mitigating its function has far reaching implications.”

Of fact, preventing heart disease isn’t as simple as drinking coffee. Mixing it with cream or sugar (or a donut on the side) may cancel out any health benefits – this is especially true if you choose soft drinks or energy drinks as your caffeine delivery mechanism. Caffeine in excess can be harmful, and experts are still debating how much is too much. Overall, if you want to improve your heart health, there are definitely far more straightforward approaches you might take.

Nonetheless, the latest study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that your caffeine habit may be somewhat beneficial — or at the very least, not detrimental.

The researchers have developed novel caffeine compounds that inhibit PCSK9 in the bloodstream and plan to turn them into a new form of cholesterol-lowering medication.

Source: 10.1038/s41467-022-28240-9

Image Credit: Getty

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