Thursday, June 14, 2007


chemex anyone?

"cafestol, a compound found in coffee, elevates cholesterol by hijacking a receptor in an intestinal pathway critical to its regulation, said researchers from baylor college of medicine in a report that appears in the july issue of the journal molecular endocrinology.

in fact, cafestol is the most potent dietary cholesterol-elevating agent known, said dr. david moore, professor of molecular and cellular biology at bcm, and dr. marie-louise ricketts, a postdoctoral student and first author of the report. cafetiere, or french press coffee, boiled scandinavian brew and espresso contain the highest levels of the compound, which is removed by paper filters used in most other brewing processes. removing caffeine does not remove cafestol, however.

studies by a co-author – dr. martijn b. katan of vriye univeriteit amsterdam, institute for health sciences, the netherlands – indicate that consuming five cups of French press coffee per day (30 milligrams of cafestol) for four weeks raises cholesterol in the blood 6 to 8 percent."

very interesting study; we coffee lovers should pay attention to see if it can be duplicated and confirmed.

in the meantime, if this worries you – there's always the chemex! the website claims it's the most "pristine" and "chemically correct" way to make coffee, terms that today have gained new meaning!

cafestol may seem threatening, but other studies seem to suggest it may be an anti-cancer compound. . .ah! mysterious!

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posted by fortune | 6:45 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 1 comments